Minister of Cultural Affairs Nitai Roy Chowdhury says the traditional Bangla New Year procession will be referred to as the "Baishakhi Shobhajatra".
The minister told reporters at the Secretariat on Sunday, "We want an end to the controversy over the name of the Pahela Baishakh procession. Pahela Baishakh is basically a festival for the common people and farmers from all walks of life. We are a democratic government accountable to the people. In democracy, there is unity in diversity. From now on, the New Year procession will be held under the name 'Baishakhi Shobhajatra'."
"All the other events, such as Chhayanaut's New Year's event at the Ramna Batamul, will still be held on Pahela Baishakh. The procession from the Fine Arts Faculty will feature all its characteristic elements."
The Dhaka University Fine Arts Faculty procession on the Bengali New Year began in the 1980s with calls to break the shackles of military rule. It later took the form of the "Mangal Shobhajatra".
UNESCO recognised the event as a part of the world's cultural heritage in 2016.
Since the Awami League's rule, some religious groups had opposed the Mangal Shobhajatra. After the ousting of that government, the opposition grew stronger under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
In 2025, the word "Mangal" was dropped from the event and it was renamed to "Barshabaran Anondo Shobhajatra".
On Tuesday, a meeting was held at Dhaka University to formulate a programme for the Bengali New Year 1433 celebrations.
After the meeting, the Public Relations Department of Dhaka University said in a press release, "On the occasion of the New Year, the Anondo Shobhajatra will start at 9am from the Faculty of Fine Arts. It will proceed to the Raju Memorial Sculpture, Doel Chattar, and Bangla Academy, before ending once again at the Faculty of Fine Arts."
The announcement sparked social media discussion on what name would be used for the event this year. The culture minister has now specified that the name will be "Baishakhi Shobhajatra".The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) still includes the name "Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Boishakh" in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
UNESCO says that it does not take any position on the national decision regarding the name. However, if the government decides to change the name, it will have to submit a formal application to UNESCO.
In response to a question on whether the name change will have any impact on the recognition received from UNESCO, the culture minister said: "We will inform UNESCO about the name change."
When asked about the ongoing debate over the naming of the annual procession, UNESCO Dhaka Head of Office and Representative to Bangladesh Susan Vize told bdnews24.com in an e-mail message last Thursday: "UNESCO does not take any position on the national decision regarding the name because such matters fall within the jurisdiction and decision of the Member States themselves."
"If the Bangladesh government decides to change the name, it will have to submit a formal request to UNESCO. "According to the Operational Directives of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention, such requests must be submitted at least three months before a committee session for consideration." "bdnews24
