“Pahela Boishakh” (or “Poila Boishakh”) has been carved in our hearts, so I’m taking quite a risk to write this note!
I believe the words pahela, dosra, thesra, and such, have been borrowed from Farsi/Urdu. The correct Bangla words for these are prathama, dwitiya, tritiya, etc. The names of the months in the Bangla calendar “Bangabda,” are based on the names of the lunar mansions (nakshatra) - locations of the moon with respect to particular stars during the lunar cycle.
These names were derived from “Shakabda,” another calendar of this region that was introduced during the Shaka Dynasty. The dates of these months were referred to as prathama, dwitiya, tritiya, chaturthi, panchami, shashthhi, saptami, ashtami, nabami, dashami, etc.
I believe when Emperor Akbar revised the Bengali calendar to synchronise it with the Hijri, the Farsi/Urdu terms pahela, dosra, and such came along.
It is very surprising then, that both “Ekushey February” and “Pahela Boishakh,” two very important events to Bangalis, are referred to through non-Bangla words! While “Ekushey” should be referred to as “Aat-i Phalgun,” the first day of Boishakh should be “Prathama Boishakh.”
Though the adaptation of the foreign word “Pahela” as “Poila” has minimised the linguistic sin, it wasn’t really necessary as Bangla already has a perfectly good corresponding word. It is not like “Akademi,” which is used in West Bengal as Calcutta University adapted the English word into their language, much like “haspatal” is for “hospital,” because there were no suitable corresponding words.
Anyway, I hope I have not poured cold water onto the high spirits of the Bangla New Year. Hope you had a Shubha Prathama Boishakh.