DURGA POOJA

The significance of Durga Pooja

While the ceremonies bring observance of fast and devotion for ten
days, the last four days of the festival namely Saptami, Ashtami,
Navami, and Vijaya-Dashami are celebrated with much sparkle and
magnificence in India, especially in Bengal and overseas.

The Durga Pooja celebrations differ based on the place, customs, and
beliefs. Things differ to the extent that somewhere the festival is on for
five days, somewhere it is for seven and somewhere it is for complete
ten days. Joviality begins with ‘Shashti’ – sixth day and ends on the
‘VijayaDashmi’ – the tenth day.

Background of Durga Pooja

Goddess Durga was the daughter of Himalaya and Menka. She later
became Sati to get married to Lord Shiva. It is believed that the festival
of Durga pooja started since the time Lord Rama worshipped the
goddess to get a grant of powers from her to kill Ravana.

Some communities, especially in Bengal the festival is celebrated by

decorating a ‘pandal’ in the close regions. Some people even worship
the goddess at home by making all the arrangements. On the last day,
they also go for immersing the statue of the goddess into the holy river
the Ganges.

We celebrate Durga Pooja to honor the victory of good over evil or light

over darkness. Some believe another story behind this festival is that on
this day the goddess Durga defeated the demon Mahisasura. She was
called upon by the all three Lords – Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu to
eradicate the demon and save the world from his cruelty. The battle
went on for ten days and finally, on the tenth day, Goddess Durga
eliminated the demon. We celebrate the tenth day as Dussehra or
Vijayadashami.

Rituals Performed During Durga Pooja

The festivities begin from the time of Mahalaya, where the devotees
request Goddess Durga to come to the earth. On this day, they make the
eyes on the statue of the Goddess during an auspicious ceremony named
Chokkhu Daan. After establishing the idol of Goddess Durga in place,
they perform rituals to raise her blessed presence into the idols on
Saptami.

These rituals are called ‘Pran Pratisthan’. It consists of a small banana

plant known a Kola Bou (banana bride), which is taken for a bath in a
nearby river or lake, outfitted in a sari, and is used as a way for carrying
the Goddess’s holy energy.

During the festival, the devotees offer prayers to the Goddess and
worshiped her in several different forms. After the evening aarti ritual is
done on the eighth day it is a tradition for the religious folk dance which
is performed in front of the Goddess in order to gratify her. This dance
is performed on the musical beats of drums while holding a clay pot
filled with burning coconut covering and camphor.

On the ninth day, the worship is completed with a Maha Aarti. It is

symbolic of the ending of the major rituals and prayers. On the last day
of the festival, Goddess Durga goes back to her husband’s dwelling and
the goddess Durga’s statutes are taken for immersion in the river. The
married women offer red vermillion powder to the Goddess and mark
themselves with this powder.

Conclusion
All people celebrate and enjoy this festival irrespective of their castes
and financial status. Durga Pooja is an enormously communal and
theatrical celebration. Dance and cultural performances are an essential
part of it. Delicious traditional food is also an enormous part of the
festival. The street of Kolkata flourishes with food stalls and shops,
where several locals and foreigners enjoy mouth-watering foodstuff
including sweets. To celebrate Durga Pooja, all workplaces, educational
institutions, and business places remain closed in West Bengal. Besides
Kolkata, Durga Pooja is also celebrated in other places like Patna,
Guwahati, Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Bhubaneswar, and so on. Many non-
residential Bengali cultural establishments organize Durga Pooja in
several places in the UK, USA, Australia, France, and other countries.
Thus, the festival teaches us that good always wins over the evil and so
we should always follow the right path.