Hosted on every April 14th in Jackson Heights, NY, "Festival of Joy" is an event for Bengali Americans to celebrate Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year. Pohela Boishakh is celebrated by all types of Bengali's, making no distinctions between different class or religion. During this day, ethnic Bengalis across the world and from all walks of life unite to welcome the New Year with a new hope of peace, prosperity and goodwill. In America, "Festival of Joy" creates a chance for Bengali immigrants like me and my family to come together to celebrate our culture, even when we are thousands of miles away from our homeland.
Attending "Festival of Joy" always makes me feel as if I'm back in Bangladesh, celebrating Pohela Boishakh on the streets of Dhaka. On Pohela Boishakh the streets of Jackson Heights are filled with bright colors and other festive ac tivities as the event begins. On this day, my dad dons on his panjabi (traditional Bengali attire for men) instead of the regular t-shirts and jeans he usually wears; while me, my mom and my sister wear matching white saris with red borders (traditional Bengali attire for women). Clad in our traditional clothes, we become one with the crowd as we attend the event; spending the day by buying handmade traditional handicrafts, enjoying performers staging jatra (traditional Bengali plays) and indulging in Bengali delicacies. The way "Festival of Joy" connects Bengali's across America to celebrate such an integral part of my culture is really what makes this event so meaningful to me.