Buoyancy and an air of romance spread across Bangladesh on Friday as people celebrated Pahela Falgun, a festival marking the arrival of spring, alongside Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to expressing love.

The first day of spring coincided with the day of love, doubling the joy and merriment. Many parts of Dhaka turned into vibrant hubs of colour as men and women, dressed in saffron and red panjabis, sarees, and salwar kameez, took to the streets to celebrate and create cherished memories. Some, including foreign visitors, had their faces painted with traditional alpona designs in various colours.

From Shahbagh, the celebrations spread to the Sufia Kamal National Public Library, the Faculty of Fine Arts, TSC, Aparajeyo Bangla, Battala, Hakim Chattar, VC Chattar, Fuller Road, Suhrawardy Udyan, and Ramna Park.

The Jatiya Basanta Utsab Udjapan Parishad, a spring festival celebration group, organised a daylong programme titled Basanta Utsab 1431 at Bakul Tala of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University. The event featured music, dance, recitations, and elocution performances.

The festival began at 7:30am with Bengal Parampara’s rendition of raga Basanta Mukhari, followed by a dance performance by Puja Sengupta and her troupe. Later, artistes from over ten cultural organisations took the stage.

This year, there was no afternoon segment of the programme due to the observance of Shab-e-Barat. Organisers and guests addressed the audience during the performances.

Jatiya Basanta Utsab Udjapan Parishad President Safiuddin Ahmed described the event as a festival of unity.

“We have been celebrating this festival in the city for many years. The festival celebration group simply gave it an official form. This year, it coincided with Valentine’s Day, so we are welcoming spring by celebrating both occasions,” he said.

The Parishad’s General Secretary, Manjar Chowdhury Sweet, reiterated the dream of building a secular Bangladesh through this festival.

“The country we envisioned during the Liberation War is a Bangladesh for all people. We will build a nation of equality, moving past divisions of caste and creed. Let the radiant light of spring touch us all,” he said.

Cultural programmes were also arranged at Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka. However, despite all preparations, organisers could not hold a programme in Uttara as, according to them, a group of locals opposed the event.

In 1585, Mughal Emperor Akbar introduced the Bengali calendar, establishing a tradition of celebrating 14 festivals throughout the year, with the spring festival being one of them.

Bangladesh began celebrating an urban version of Basanta Utsab in the 1990s on a limited scale at Bakul Tala, following the anti-autocracy movement. Later, in the Bengali year 1401, the Jatiya Basanta Utsab Udjapan Parishad formally initiated celebrations in Dhaka.

For the past few years, Pahela Falgun has gained an added dimension as it has coincided with Valentine’s Day. Various corporate brands organised events to entertain couples who ventured out to celebrate the occasion.