Pohela Boishakh

Every year, on the first day of the year, Bengalis all over Bangladesh and India celebrate Pohela Boishakh–the Bengali New Year.  This day is filled with food, songs, new saris, etc.  However, one tradition that I learned about during my recent trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh was that of ‘Hal Khata’.  Hal Khata, which literally translates to ‘New Notebook’ in Bangla, is a custom in which jewelry buyers pay up all their debts to jewelry stores on Pohela Boishakh.  In order to show their appreciation, jewelry stores invite their customers for a feast on Pohela Boishakh, which occurs mid-April of every year.

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Dubai Gold Souq = SHOPPING HEAVEN

When stepping into the shopping complexes in Dubai, your eyes will first be greeted by GOLD–almost everywhere!  Gold shops in Dubai, in my opinion, are more prevalent than clothing, or even food!

My mom and I had began our 3 and a half week venture to begin my brother’s wedding shopping and it all started in Dubai. My mom and I thought our two day shopping trip was far too short, but we managed to purchase a storm and in my opinion, Dubai = shopping haven!!

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Trosseau shopping in South Asia

In South Asian culture, it’s not unheard of to go back home to shop for your wedding, whether that be India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc. In fact, many brides do just that in order to save time, money, and have a larger selection of choices for wedding fashion. I did my own Reception shopping in Dhaka, Bangladesh and recently completed wedding shopping for my brother’s upcoming wedding in Dubai, Dhaka, and Kolkata.

Here are some important things to keep in mind when shopping abroad;

DO:

• Plan far in advance. -Make sure you have adequate time for you each city or area of a city you plan to shop in.
• Try to take a local wherever you go as you will get ripped off if anyone senses you are a tourist . Read more