Bengali New Year 1430 celebration in Athens

The Bengali New Year 1430 celebration (Bangla Varsvaran Utsav 1430) took place on Sunday, May 28, 2023, at Veiku Park in Galatsi, Athens.

The festival was inaugurated by the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Greece H.E. Mr. Ashud Ahmed and his wife Mrs. Rebecca Sultana in the presence of hundreds of members of the Bangladeshi community from Athens and nearby cities, ambassadors and diplomats from other countries, friends of Bangladesh and representatives of various cultural and business organizations.

In the wonderful Baisakhi cultural program that followed, everyone welcomed the new year by performing the song “Eso Hey Boishakh Eso Eso” in a collective voice, members of the embassy, artists of the Bangladesh Doyle Cultural Organization in Greece and children and teenagers played Baisakhi and folk music, read poetry and danced Bangladeshi folk dances. The important aspect of this year’s New Year festival was the presentation of Dhenki and Palki, one of the popular traditions of Bengal, which was highly appreciated by local and foreign visitors to the fair.

H.E. the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Greece Mr. Ashud Ahmed welcomes to the festival the President of ELINEPA Dr. Dimitrios Vasiliadis and Mr. James Mimikos, member of the Board of Directors of the Greek-Indian Business Association (GIBA).

Hundreds of men, women and children dressed in folk costumes created a colorful and pleasant atmosphere. Visitors had the opportunity to buy Bangladeshi products from various stalls and enjoy the taste of Bangladeshi food. Bangabandhu’s “Unfinished Autobiography” translated into various languages, including Greek, and other books on the history and culture of Bangladesh were on display at the Embassy’s kiosk.

Earlier, the Ambassador of Bangladesh in his speech referred to Bangladesh’s history, heritage and socio-economic development. He said that under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is heading towards becoming a developed country. He called upon the expatriates to actively participate in this development process and take Bangladeshi culture abroad and thanked everyone who participated in the Bangla New Year festival.