Durga Puja, The Biggest Festival of West Bengal

Festivals are colourful, and when it is an Indian festival, it is like Indian summer. Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a five-day festival where people wear new gorgeous clothes and enjoy the good food, art and tradition.

What is Durga Puja ?

Durga Puja or Durgotsav is an annual Hindu festival, which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu Goddess Durga in the Indian calendar month of Ashwin (September-October). The reason of the celebration is Goddess Durga’s victory over Mahishasur.This festival is also celebrated  in the Indian state of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tripura and Assam. Bangladesh is also another country who observes this festival. But, if someone wants to see this festival and want to be a part of the gorgeous event, visit West Bengal. From the decoration to tradition, West Bengal celebrates it in a grand way.

Durga Puja Organizers and Decorations

There was a time when youth members of the community used to collect funds and organized the puja. The entire preparation used to start a month before the starting day of the Puja. But now, puja organizers do get sponsors and also the government of West Bengal is providing some funds to them to organize the puja more grand way.

Organizers decorate the puja pandals using different things, and each pandal talks a story. Some show the folk arts of Bengal and India through their decoration, some bring the vibe of a famous temple, museum or place, some talk about social issues or give ideas to make the society better.On the other side, there are some families hold the puja at their homes to keep their family tradition and pride alive. Those pujas known as Bonedi Durga Puja. Each of these families has some of their specific family rituals, and they do follow as much as possible to worship the Goddess Durga.

Celebration

Well, the celebration is gorgeous. Devotees do pray to the Goddess Durga in the morning, they keep fast, offer pushpanjali and bhog to the goddess. All perform the rituals of the Puja with clean traditional clothes or mostly new traditional clothes.  In the evening, all dressed up well and go out with family and friends to see the decorations and to have some good food and time. During the festival, not only Hindus, but also the people with other religious beliefs celebrates the  colours, lights and arts of the festival and West Bengal.

Durga Puja is a festival which brings people together. It gives the art and culture to flourish. Above all, it brings brighter smile to people’s faces and gives happiness.