As the name suggests, this annual festival reveres Goddess Durga and marks her victory over the deceptive and shape-shifting demon Mahishasura in a fierce battle. That’s why she is also known as Mahishasura Mardini (the slayer of Mahishasura). As such, the premise of the festival is religious. However, Durga Puja is not limited to being just a religious fiesta. It is also celebrated as a post-monsoon harvest festival in some places, where the Goddess is worshipped as the mother-power behind all creation and life. The dates of Durga Puja coincide with that of Dussehra or Vijayadashami, which marks Lord Ram’s victory over Ravana. Unsurprisingly, you can often find a mix of these two traditions in the festivities across India.
When Is It Celebrated?
Durga Puja is celebrated in the month of Ashvin as per the Hindu calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar, the date usually falls between September and October. In the year 2021, the festival starts on the 10th and ends on the 19th of October.
How Is It Celebrated?
The Durga Puja festival is a ten-day long affair, out of which the last five days are marked with ceremonies, rituals, and celebrations. Here is an account of how these ten days are celebrated:
- First Day: The festival begins on Mahalaya, the day on which the goddess is invoked to descend to earth for her yearly visit to her maternal abode.
- Highlights: It is also the day on which the Hindus pay homage to their ancestors.
- Sixth Day: The next important day is the sixth day, which is known as Shashthi. This day signifies her arrival along with her children, namely Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh, and Kartik, on earth after her long journey from Kailash, her abode in heaven.
- Highlights: Community pandals mark the day, where huge idols of Durga holding weapons in her ten hands, her four children, and Mahisasura are placed.
- Seventh, Eight, and Ninth Days: The next three days are known as Saptami (seventh day), Ashtami (eighth day), and Navami (ninth day), and they are the most significant days of the festival. On these three days, the goddess is worshipped by observing various rituals and recitation of the scriptures.
- Highlights: Attractively décorated community pandals draw in huge crowds during these three days. People don new clothes and indulge in pandal-hopping, eating out, and making merry with their friends and families. With performance art shows, competitions, processions, it is nothing short of a carnival feel during these days.
- 10th Day: Dashami is the last and tenth day of the festival when Durga is believed to start on her return journey.
- Highlights: This day also marks the end of the festivities with the immersion of the idol in a river or a large water body. Huge processions are taken out on Dashami as people accompany the goddess to the waterfront to bid her farewell in a vibrant manner.