{"id":9282,"date":"2020-10-21T20:07:42","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T14:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/?p=9282"},"modified":"2022-05-07T13:45:32","modified_gmt":"2022-05-07T08:15:32","slug":"durga-puja-in-kolkata-2020-dates-significance-and-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/durga-puja-in-kolkata-2020-dates-significance-and-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Durga Puja In Kolkata 2020: Dates, Significance and Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Durga Puja 2020<\/h2>\n

Durga Puja 2020<\/a>\u00a0will be celebrated in the month of October with Mahalaya on 17 September and Maha Panchami on 21 October. Durga Puja celebrates the ten-armed mother goddess and her victory over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura. While celebrated across India, In West Bengal, Assam and Tripura, it is the biggest festival of the year and the most significant cultural event in Bengali Hindu society. Durga Puja is a ten-day festival, even though it is the latter five days that are recognized and celebrated. The last five days being special festivals that are reflected in public holidays in some states in India. The pandals are beautifully decorated with a certain theme. The streets are crowded with people who are out to see the pandals and the idols of the goddess Durga.<\/p>\n

Significance of Durga Puja<\/h2>\n

As per Hindu mythology, the festival marks Goddess Durga\u2019s visit to her natal home along with her children. Durga Puja is preceded by Mahalaya, which marks the beginning of Durga\u2019s journey to her home. The actual puja starts from \u201cMaha Sashthi\u201d or the sixth day where devotees welcome the Goddess with pomp and gusto. On this day, Durga\u2019s deity is unveiled in front of the public. Several rituals are performed while the \u201cdhakis\u201d keep the mood and spirit of the puja alive by playing the \u201cdhak\u201d\u2014a kind of drum that\u2019s associated with the puja and Bengali culture.<\/p>\n

The 7th day marks the commencement of \u201cMaha Saptami\u201d. On this day, just before dawn, a banana tree is immersed in the water as a part of the ritual. After the ceremonial bath, the tree or \u201cKola Bou\u201d (as called in Bengali) is draped in a saree, usually a red-bordered one, and placed on the right-side of Ganesha, thereby implying that \u201cKola Bou\u201d is actually the bride of Ganesha. However, several cultural revisionists and historians have different views on this as some believe that \u201cKola Bou\u201d is another representation of Durga. Hence, they refute the theory that \u201cKola Bou\u201d is the bride of Ganesha.<\/p>\n

Another different view is that \u201cKola Bou\u201d is a symbolic representation of nine types of plants that form a sacred complex. Priests tie a bunch of eight plants on the trunk of the banyan tree before performing the ritual. The nine different leaves combined together form \u201cKola Bou\u201d\u2014often considered as the plant form of Durga.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaha Ashtami\u201d marks the 8th of the puja and is considered as the day when the Goddess defeated \u201cMahisasura\u201d. Prayers are offered in the form of \u201cAnjali\u201d while feasts are organized in different localities. Khichdi and other delicacies are prepared on this day.<\/p>\n

The 9th day is dubbed as \u201cMaha Navami\u201d. As soon as the \u201cSandhi Puja\u201d ends, Maha Navami commences. Maha Aarti is performed as a closing ritual. Huge queues are common on this day as people flock in to take part in \u201cMaha Aarti\u201d.<\/p>\n

The 10th day or \u201cMaha Dashami\u201d marks the final day of Durga Puja. On this day, Durga and the other deities are immersed in the river Ganga. Before the immersion, married women take part in \u201cSindoor Khela\u201d where they smear vermillion on each other\u2019s faces. On the day of immersion, also called \u201cVisarjan\u201d, huge processions are common. People dance and cheer on the road to celebrate the spirit of the puja. After the immersion, a typical custom is followed where people visit their relatives\u2019 houses to wish \u201cBijoya Dashami\u201d.<\/p>\n

How is Durga Puja celebrated?<\/h2>\n

Schools, colleges, and government offices are closed during the puja. People indulge in shopping for the puja just after Mahalaya. During this time of the year, most shops offer discounts on clothes and other products. On \u201cMaha Ashtami\u201d men usually wear Kurta Pajamas while women drape themselves in sarees.<\/p>\n

Cultural events are organised in different localities while puja organisers compete against each other through theme-based puja pandals. The beauty of Durga Puja is that every pandal has a story to tell through its art and d\u00e9cor. People stand in queues just to enter the pandal so that they can enjoy the magnificent artwork and d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n

Food stalls are set up in every nook and corner while special Durga Puja dishes are prepared in restaurants. Streets are decorated with different lights to capture the festive mood. More police personnel are deployed than the usual to keep the traffic under control.<\/p>\n

Durga Puja is the biggest festival for the Bengali community. Other than the celebrations, the festival calls for a family get-together. It\u2019s a time when people bridge their differences and come together to celebrate unity. To be precise, Durga Puja transcends the boundaries of religion and celebrates the spirit of humanity.<\/p>\n

Festive Traditions and Activities<\/h2>\n

Many exciting festive activities are organised on the eve of the festival of Durga puja. Some of these are:<\/p>\n