The significance of Durga Pooja !!
The ceremonies bring observance of fast and devotion for ten days, the last four days of the festival namely Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Vijaya Dasmi are celebrated with much sparkly and magnificently in India, especially in Bengal.
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.
What is Background of Durga Pooja?
Goddess Durga was the daughter of Himalaya and Menka. And 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 and idol.
On the last day, they also go for immersing the statue of the goddess into the holy river the Ganges , river and lake.
We celebrate Durga Pooja to honor the victory of good over evil or light over darkness. She was called upon by the all three Lords – Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu to kill the demon and save the world from his cruelty. And then the battle went on for ten days and finally, and on the tenth day, Goddess Durga eliminated the demon. Thats why we celebrate the tenth day as Dussehra or Vijayadashami.
What are the ritual During Durga Pooja?
The festivities begin from the time of Mahalaya, where the devotees request Goddess Durga to come to the earth. And 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, devotees offer prayers to the Goddess and worshiped her in several different forms.
After the evening aarti is done on the eighth day girls perform folk dance which is performed in front of the Goddess in order to gratify her. 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, Maa 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 and pan.
To celebrate Durga Pooja, all workplaces, educational institutions, and business places remain closed in all india .
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 oversea and the UK, USA, canda,France, and other countries.
Hence, the festival teaches us that good always wins over the evil and so we should always follow the right path.
Thankyou - akash from Indiantravelsoul.
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