In the morning, thousands wearing masks and traditional dresses, mostly students of colleges and universities, in Dhaka joined a colorful procession -- the Mangal Shobha Jatra -- to welcome the New Year with good spirits.

As always they carried large symbolic figures of birds and animals all made of bamboo during the procession, ushering in Bengali New Year which is now a symbol of cultural unity in Bangladesh without distinction between class or religious affiliations.

Dhaka University's Fine Arts Institute students made the figurines chasing evil spirits.

This year's procession is the 30th that the students of Dhaka University have coordinated to welcome the Bengali New Year.

In Bangladesh, Pohela Boishakh, or the first day of the New Year, is a national holiday.

Dhaka's fashion houses and boutiques were abuzz with shoppers who bought traditional dresses not only for their families but also for their relatives and friends, a traditional activity during the celebration of Pohela Baishakh or Bengali New Year.

During the New Year, Bengalis usually start the day with the traditional simple breakfast of panta-bhat (leftover rice soaked in water) and fried hilsa fish.

Many were seen last week busy buying cakes, sweets and fruits "to sweeten the mood" during the celebration.

Celebration of the Bengali New Year usually begins at sunrise when people wearing new dresses gather in the main venues around the Dhaka University.

Boishakhi Fairs are organized in many parts of Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. The lifestyle of rural Bengal is showcased in almost all these fairs which also stage traditional folk songs and plays.

Moguhal Emperor Akbar introduced the Bangla calendar year and the celebration of Pahela Baishakh, marking the advent of Bengali New Year, which is now considered as an integral part of the Bengali's cultural heritage and tradition.