বৈশাখ Boishakh after the star, বিশাখা Bishakha
জ্যৈষ্ঠ Joishţho after the star, জ্যেষ্ঠা Jeshţha
আষাঢ় Ashaŗh after the star, উত্তরাষাঢ়া Uttorashaŗha
শ্রাবণ Srabon after the star, শ্রবণা Srobona
ভাদ্র Bhadro after the star, পূর্বভাদ্রপদ Purbobhadropôd
আশ্বিন Ashshin after the star, অশ্বিনী Ôshshini
কার্তিক Kartik after the star, কৃত্তিকা Krittika
অগ্রহায়ণ(মার্গশীর্ষ) Ôgrohaeon after the star, মৃগশিরা Mrigoshira
পৌষ Poush after the star, পুষ্যা Pushsha
মাঘ Magh after the star মঘা Môgha
ফাল্গুন Falgun after the star, উত্তরফাল্গুনী Uttorfalguni
চৈত্র Choitro after the star, চিত্রা Chitra

Days

The Bengali Calendar incorporates the seven-day week as used by many other calendars. Also like other calendars, the names of the days of the week in the Bengali Calendar are based on celestial objects, or nôbogroho .

In the Bengali calendar, the day begins and ends at sunrise, unlike in the Gregorian calendar, where the day starts at midnight

Revised Bengali Calendar

The Bengali calendar in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) was modified by a committee headed by Muhammad Shahidullah under the auspices of the Bangla Academy on 17 February 1966.
The length of a year in the Bengali calendar, as in the Gregorian calendar, is counted as 365 days. However, the actual time taken by the earth in its revolution around the sun is 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 47 seconds. To make up this discrepancy, the Gregorian calendar adds an extra day, to make a leap year, to the month of February every fourth year (except in years divisible by 100 but not by 400). The Bengali calendar, which was based on astronomical calculations, did not make this extra leap year adjustment. Bengali months, too, were of different lengths. To counter this discrepancy, and to make the Bengali calendar more precise, the following recommendations of the Bangla Academy are followed:
The first five months of the year from Boishakh to Bhadro will consist of 31 days each.
The remaining seven months of the year from Ashshin to Choitro will consist of 30 days each.
In every leap year of the Gregorian calendar, an additional day will be added in the month of Falgun, which is just 14 days after 29 February. (Modified without material change).
The revised calendar was officially adopted in Bangladesh in 1987. However, it is not followed in the neighbouring state of West Bengal, India, where the traditional calendar continues to be followed due to the deep bond of Hindu culture with the Bengali calendar. Hindu religious festivals are celebrated based on a particular lunar day and Bengali calendar combination.

Revised and non-revised versions

The first of Boishakh, Pôhela Boishakh, is the Bengali New Year's Day. In West Bengal, it is celebrated on 14/15 April. However, since the calendar was revised in Bangladesh the new year now always falls on 14 April.
In West Bengal, India, the Bengalis follow a sidereal solar calendar unlike the Tropical year solar calendars, such as the revised Bengali and Gregorian Calendars. The mathematical difference between the sidereal and the tropical calendars accounts for the difference of starting the new year in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Because of this the length of the months are also not fixed in the Bengali sidereal calendar, but rather are based on the true movement of the sun.

Leap Year

Although the sidereal solar calendar is followed in West Bengal, India, the number of days in the months are determined by the true motion of the Sun through the zodiac. In this calendar, seven is subtracted from the year, and the result is divided by 39. If after the division the remainder (= (year - 7) / 39) is zero or is evenly divisible by 4, the year is then designated as a leap year and contains 366 days, with the last month, Choitro, taking 31 days. There are 10 leap years in every 39 years, although an extraordinary revision may be required over a long time.[citation needed]
According to the new calendar system in Bangladesh, Falgun (which begins mid-February) has 31 days every four years. To keep pace with the Gregorian calendar, the Bengali leap years are those whose corresponding Gregorian calendar year is counted as a leap year. For example, Falgun 1410 was considered a Bengali leap month, as it fell during the Gregorian leap month of February 2004.

Usage

The usage and popularity of the Bengali calendar in eastern South Asia is partly due to its adaptation to the unique seasonal patterns of the region. Eastern South Asia has a climate that is best divided into six seasons, including the monsoon or rainy season and the dry season in addition to spring, summer, fall, and winter.
In everyday use, the Bengali Calendar has been largely replaced by the Gregorian Calendar in Bengali-speaking regions, although it is still essential for marking holidays specific to Bengali culture (e.g. Pôhela Boishakh, Durga Puja, etc.), and for marking the seasons of the year. The Bengali calendar is recognized by the government of Bangladesh, whose offices date all their correspondence with the Bengali date as well as the Gregorian one. Almost every Bengali- and English-language newspaper in Bangladesh and West Bengal prints the day's date according to the Bengali Calendar alongside the corresponding date of the Gregorian Calendar. Many newspapers in Bangladesh also add a third date, following the Islamic Hijri Calendar. Thus, it is quite common in Bangladesh to find the date written three times (e.g. "15 Falgun 1412, 17 Muharram 1427, 27 February 2006") under the newspaper title.

List of Festivals 1419

External Links

• Downloadable Software(free): Gregorian (English) to Bangla Date Converter for forever
• Bengali calendar according to Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika
• Online Bangla Date Converter
• Bangla Date Converter with VB 6.0 Source Code
• Online English Date to Bangla Date Converter
• Bangla Date Converter written in Visual Basic
• Bangla Calendar: The Origin of Bangla new year and celebrating Pahela Baishakh
• Reconstructed Bengali Calendar as used in Bangladesh
• Wordpress Plugin for Bangla Calendar
• The Bengali Calendar: A proud possession by M. Arshad Ali
• Hindu Panchangam calendars for the world
• Bangla Panjika for 2000 years according to Surya Siddhanta
• Bangla Panjikas according to Surya Siddhanta