On Wednesday, the start of Falgun, the eleventh month in the Bengali calendar and officially the start of the joyous Spring season of Bengal, falls on the same day as Valentine's Day, for the fifth year in a row. 

Every year on February 13, the Bangladeshis used to celebrate Pahela Falgun, the second biggest festival in the Bengali calendar. However, in 2020, Bangla Academy changed the Bangla Calendar to align it with the Gregorian calendar, and Pahela Falgun was combined with Valentine's Day, which has always been celebrated on February 14.

The country is now all prepared to welcome the first day of Falgun amid colourful celebrations and festive attires of yellow and red. Welcoming the king of all six seasons, which offers vivid sunlight and a mild temperature increase in the weather following the short-lived Winter season.

Bangladeshi citizens will also celebrate Valentine’s Day with their loved ones tomorrow, keeping pace with the rest of the world, to symbolise and celebrate love among their beloveds. Although the added festivities of Pahela Falgun brought a new and refreshing tone to the day, netizens especially the youths have been observing the day for the last couple of decades now as a mandatory opportunity for celebration.

The tradition of celebrating the Pahela Falgun in Bangladesh started in the Bengali calendar year 1401. Since then, the Jatiya Bawshonto Utsab Udyapan Parishad has been celebrating Pahela Falgun regularly with jovial cultural festivity at the Bakultala of Charukala (Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art) in the morning.

This year, the organisation will begin the Pahela Falgun festivities in Charukala Bakultala at 7 am and 3 pm with two different seasons. It will also host similar festivities in the afternoon on the open stage at Uttara Rabindra Sarani and Bahadur Shah Park in the capital.

Different organisations including the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and many other organisations, institutions and businesses will be celebrating this year’s festive February 14 with multiple festivities,

BSA will greet the day with a special dance recital titled ‘Bawshanto Nrittyo’ in the capital’s Ramna Park at 3:30 pm with 225 dance artists. A festive procession will be heading to the BSA premises after that, and the cultural event at the open premises of the academy will feature musical performances, recitations, dance recitals and choreography of Spring-themed Bengali fashion. 

Minister of Housing and Public Works, RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury will join the event as the chief guest, while Cultural Affairs Secretary Khalil Ahmed will join as the special guest.

The ongoing Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2024 at Bangla Academy and Suhrawardi Udyan already observed an influx of crowds on the long-standing usual day of Pahela Falgun in the past, and the book-sellers and fair authorities are expecting an even bigger crowd on Wednesday amid the festivities.

As per the Valentine’s Day specials, several top entertainment artists are releasing multiple new songs, dramas and OTT content to entertain their fans on this festive day. Television channels, OTT platforms, FM Radio stations, social media platforms and YouTube content creators are also scheduled to air special programmes marking the occasion. 

To make it even more memorable for couples and FnF (friends and family), several restaurants, resorts, five-star hotels, and dining establishments are also offering appealing packages on this festive day.