DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — After a two-year break, thousands of people in Bangladesh and Nepal on Thursday celebrated their respective new years with colorful…
After a two-year break, thousands of people in Bangladesh and Nepal have celebrated their respective new years with colorful processions and musical soirees as the coronavirus pandemic eased and life swung back to normal. In Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka people clad in the traditional red attire ushered in the Bengali year 1429. They marched, sang and danced at a prominent arts college on the Dhaka University campus and in historic Ramna Park. The celebration was subdued as the Muslim-majority Bangladesh was also observing the fasting month of Ramadan amid scorching heat. The feast was not always smooth as hard-line Muslim groups opposed the celebrations, calling them un-Islamic. People in Nepal, meanwhile, welcomed the year 2079 with visits to Hindu temples and Buddhist shrines.