Poush (; ) is the 9th month of both the

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 ...

and the Nepali calendar. It overlaps December and January of the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

. It is the first month of the winter season. This month marks the start of

Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

(, ''Sheat'') in the Bengali calendar.

Etymology

This month is named after the star Pushya ().

Culture

During Poush crops are harvested and farmers often have ample food and income. Bengali people celebrate Poush Sankranti as one of their festival on the last day of Poush. They make Pitha at their homes and share those among each others. Bangladesh Poush Mela Udjapon Parishad organises a three-day fair in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, Bangladesh. In his novel ''Ganadevata'', the noted Bengali writer Tarashankar Bandopadhyay quotes a rural rhyme: :Poush-Poush, golden Poush, :Come Poush but don't go away, don't ever leave, :Don't leave Poush, don't, :The husband and son will eat a full bowl of rice.Mukhopadhyay, Manabendra, ''Tarashankar's Birbhum '', ''Paschim Banga '', Birbhum Special Issue, February 2006, , pp. 259-68, Information & Cultural Department, Government of West Bengal.

Observances marked (per official use in Bangladesh)

* Poush 1 -

Victory day of Bangladesh Victory Day () is a public holiday, national holiday in Bangladesh celebrated on 16 December to commemorate the defeat of the Pakistan Armed Forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 and the Independence of Bangladesh. It commemorates t ...

* Poush 9 -

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

* Poush 10 -

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

* Poush 11 -

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

* Poush 17 -

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

* Poush 22 - Traditional Epiphany and Armenian Christmas * Poush 23 - Christmas according to the Julian Calendar * Poush 31 - Poush Sankranti

References

Months of the Bengali calendar Nepali calendar {{Nepal-culture-stub