Haal Khata () is a festival celebrated by

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

merchants, shopkeepers and traders on Poila Boisakh (the first day of the Bengali Calendar) by opening a new

ledger A ledger is a book or collection of accounts in which accounting transactions are recorded. Each account has: * an opening or brought-forward balance; *a list of transactions, each recorded as either a debit or credit in separate columns (usu ...

History

Mughal emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

established a new calendar based on the old solar

Bengali calendar The Bengali Calendar or Bangla Calendar (, colloquially , or , , "Bangla Year") is a solar calendar used in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. In contrast to the traditional Indian Hindu calendar, which begins with the month Chait ...

in 1584 to ease taxation. The Mughals used "Halkhata Mahurat" to collect taxes and the tradition of Haal Khata is believed to be originated from this. Haal Khata is a Bengali tradition that is over 430 years old. Haal means updating and Khata means ledger.

Celebrations

On the first day of the Bengali year, traders close old ledgers and open a new ledger for the new year. Customers are invited to settle old debts and start fresh. On this day, Muslim businessmen start anew by writing '

Bismillah The (; also known by its opening words ; , "In the name of God") is the titular name of the Islamic phrase “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” (, ). It is one of the most important phrases in Islam and frequent ...

' or ' Elahi Bharsa' in their new account books and marks the event by Haal Khata dawat. The event is marked by a special Puja by the Hindu traders & shopkeepers. Seeking to improve their relationship with customers, traders give sweets, snacks, or gifts to them. The

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

is celebrated in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

's Barak Valley and

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is believed to bring good luck to the business.

References

Cultural festivals in Bangladesh Festivals of Bangladeshi culture Cultural festivals in India Festivals established in the 16th century Bengali festivals 1584 establishments in Asia {{Bangladesh-stub