[7] The procession of the festival was first observed in 1989,[8] when the autocratic ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad was the president of the country.

[10][11] The students of the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Arts decided to demonstrate against the regime by arranging the Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh.

[12][13][14] Every year, thousands of people take part in the procession that features gigantic replicas of birds, fish, animals, folk tale and other motifs.

[6][5] It is considered as an expression of the secular identity of the Bengali people, uniting the country irrespective of class, age, religious faith, or gender.

[3] In 2014 the Bangla Academy compiled a nomination file that was approved by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh and submitted to UNESCO.