PIB Summary- 16th April, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

New Year Festivals

Why in News?
The Prime Minister has conveyed his best wishes on the occasion of Vaishakhi, Vishu, Puthandu, Bohag Bihu, Naba Barsha.

About Vaishakhi:

• It is also known as Baisakhi and is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs as the start of the Hindu Solar New Year. It honours Guru Gobind Singh’s creation of the Khalsa panth of warriors in 1699.
• Baisakhi was also the day on which colonial British empire officials carried out the Jallianwala Bagh massacre at a gathering, a pivotal event in the Indian independence movement.

About Vishu:

• It is a Hindu festival observed in the Indian state of Kerala, the Tulu Nadu region of Karnataka, the Mahé district of the Union Territory of Pondicherry, and the diaspora groups of Tamil Nadu.
• The event falls on the first day of Medam, Kerala’s ninth month according to the solar calendar.
• As a result, it always falls in the middle of April on the 14th or 15th of April in the Gregorian calendar.

About Puthandu:

• The first day of the year on the Tamil calendar, also known as Puthuvarudam or Tamil New Year, is traditionally celebrated as a feast.
• The event is held on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, which corresponds to the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar. Every year on the Gregorian calendar, it falls on or around April 14th.

About Bohag Bihu:

• Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu, also known as Xaat Bihu (seven Bihus), is a traditional aboriginal ethnic festival celebrated by the indigenous ethnic groups of Assam in the state of Assam and other parts of northeastern India.
• It marks the start of the Assamese New Year and usually falls in the second week of April, historically signifying the time of harvest.

About Naba Barsha:

• According to the Bengali Calendar, Naba Barsha marks the beginning of the new year in West Bengal; it is also known as PoilaBaisakh, which literally translates to first Baisakhi (a month in the lunisolar calendar of the Bengalis).
• Bengalis unite to celebrate the new year in their own unique style, making it as noisy and magical as any other Bengali event. Throughout Bengal, the event is observed by people of various castes and religions.
• This is Bengal’s second most popular festival, after Durga Pooja. It brings the people of Bengal together, particularly Bengalis who are traditionally Hindu.