The title of Mangal Shobhajatra has been altered

The traditional rally known as ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’, held to celebrate the Bengali New Year, has been renamed. It will now be called ‘Borshoboron Ananda Shobhajatra’. The Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka announced the change during a press conference on Friday, which was arranged to share updates on preparations for the upcoming Pahela Baishakh celebrations.

Since 1989, the Faculty of Fine Arts has been organizing this vibrant procession to mark the first day of the Bengali calendar. Originally, it was named ‘Ananda Shobhajatra’. The name was later changed to ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’ in 1990 amid the anti-Ershad movement.

On November 30, 2016, UNESCO recognized Mangal Shobhajatra as an element of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.