Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
The new year arrived in many forms across parts of Asia on Tuesday, as communities marked the day with traditions shaped by faith and spring harvests.
In Cambodia, farmers gathered to receive a blessing of holy water from a monk during the Khmer New Year, as they enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins.
In Bangladesh, the streets filled with color for Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year, where processions and music signaled a new beginning. At dawn in British-era Ramna Park, an annual concert opened with morning ragas. Later, students at University of Dhaka led a procession with colorful banners and sculptures marked with folk motifs.
The festival traces its roots to reforms under Mughal Emperor Akbar, who aligned the calendar with the agricultural cycle. Over time, it has come to embody spring harvest and Bangladesh’s distinctly secular cultural inheritance.
Meanwhile across India and Pakistan, Sikhs marked the festival of Vaisakhi with hymns and music, offering thanks for the harvest and prayers for abundance in the year ahead. The festival also marks the Sikh New Year under the solar Nanakshahi calendar.
In Pakistan, thousands gathered at Sikh temples to mark the occasion, including more than 2,000 Indian pilgrims at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, in the country’s eastern Punjab province. The pilgrims traveled from neighboring India to Pakistan despite ongoing tensions between them, underscoring their shared faith.
Similar scenes played out in India’s northeastern state of Assam as people marked Bihu, the harvest festival that ushers in a new season. Celebrated with rhythmic drumming and spirited dance, it marked the start of the agricultural cycle.
In Thailand, the arrival of Thai New Year was marked by the Songkran festival, where the ritual splashing of water symbolizes purification and the promise of good fortune. In modern times, it’s also marked by thousands of people gathering for public water fights, popular with tourists, as temperatures creep over 37 degrees (100 F).
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
