Celebrating Bengali New Year at UMD

Students and community members of all backgrounds gathered to ring in new year 1426.

DULUTH, Minn.- “Subho Noboborsho!”

That’s how you say “Happy New Year” in Bangla, the language of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is a country northeast of India and on Sunday, students from there joined students here at UMD in celebrating the beginning of a different calendar.

“Essentially it was kind of a combination of the Islamic calendar and also the Gregorian calendar, and it starts April 14th,” said Azrin Awal, Public Relations and Event Planner with the Bangladeshi Student Association.

A bit of South Asia flooded the Kirby Center Ballroom.

This is the first celebration of its kind at UMD.

“When I came to UMD I never actually had that exposure to my culture or was able to share my culture, y’know?” Awal said.

This is largely due to the increased number of international students this year.

“The students who came from Bangladesh, they need to celebrate their own thing,” said Bangladeshi Student Association President Murtaza Pasha.

“Because identity is very important to us and this is, like, our roots.”

That identity is also shared by many Minnesota students.

“So, I grew up around these celebrations in the Bengali community down in St. Paul and Minneapolis areas,” Awal said.

“My culture does makeup a very significant portion of who I am. Like, I am brown. Been a little pre–cooked a little too long in the oven, so.”

Guests listened to presentations on the history of Bangladesh and its customs. They could also paint flower pots in the traditional Alpana art style.

And of course, what would a cultural celebration be, without the food?

“We spent a long time with UMD Catering–food testing and swapping recipes–to get that perfect flavor and scents. Like the smell and aroma.”

As the steel covers come off the rice and Chicken Curry, that aroma wafts around the ballroom, beckoning people to take spoonfuls.

Students in the Association also put together authentic musical arrangements and lively dance routines, typical of a Bengali New Year celebration.

One of the dancers isn’t Bangladeshi, but Chinese.

“Everyone’s been so welcoming,” Kexin Zheng said. “I’ve, like, never have I ever thought that being involved with a different culture, with a different student association would change my life.”

“But it certainly has, I’ve made so many friends here.”

According to the Association, you don’t have to be Bangladeshi to enjoy the savory food and good times.

“Our heritage is, really is like, the language that we speak. Which is like, what bonds us,” said Awal.

“It’s a collaboration of all different backgrounds, with the language and the culture having that common thread.”