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Home » Religion » Durga Puja 2020: How do celebrate the festival at home? Know everything about rituals, puja vidhi, and timings

Durga Puja 2020: How do celebrate the festival at home? Know everything about rituals, puja vidhi, and timings

Durga Puja kick-started from October 22, 2020 (Shashthi) and will end on October 26, 2020 (Dashami).

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Top 10 Must-Visit Durga Puja Pandals in Kolkata
Top 10 Must-Visit Durga Puja Pandals in Kolkata

Durga Puja kick-started from October 22, 2020 (Shashthi) and will end on October 26, 2020 (Dashami). This is a five-day festival (also celebrated as Navratri in many parts of India) dedicated to Goddess Durga, and is usually celebrated in the states of West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Tripura, apart from Bangladesh, and the diaspora from these regions.

The five days of Durga Puja are Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami.

On Dashami traditionally the idols of Durga and other gods and goddesses are immersed in the river or any other water body. Women smear vermillion or sindoor on the idols and on each other. This ritual signifies wishing a blissful marital life. People also perform a traditional dance called “Dhunuchi naach” which involves performing with an incense burner.

Rituals of Durga Puja:

  • Maha ShashtiIt is believed that Goddess Durga transcends on earth from her heavenly abode along with her children. Idols of the Goddess are also set up in the temples and the ritualistic unveiling ceremony of the idol is performed. After this, the main festivities of the festival begin.
  • Maha Saptami – The major rituals of Durga Puja start on the 7th day. A priest is called upon to chant the mantras of the puja and perform aarti. The priest, then, places the three goddesses beside the idol of Lord Ganesha, who is believed to be the bestower of wisdom and good fortune. They are then worshiped together.
  • Maha Ashtami – On the eighth day of Durga Puja young girls are worshipped in a ritual called kumari puja. It is believed that on the evening of AshtamiNavami begins, so the Sandhi Puja interlinks the two days.
  • Maha Navami – The 9th day of Durga Puja is considered one of the most significant days of the festivities. On this day, Maha Arti is performed, which proclaims the formal end of the religious ceremonies. The streets of Kolkata especially, become an ocean of people dancing and singing, soaked in the festive mood. Food in the form of Navamibhog is offered to the Goddess and later distributed among the devotees as ’prasad’’.
  • Vijaya Dashami – On the last and final day of Durga Puja, married women play with vermilion and accompany the procession that culminates at the nearby river or pond where, with teary eyes, devotees submerge the idols of the Goddess in water. This custom, known as Visarjan, symbolises the return of the divine mother to her holy abode with her children.

How to do Durga Puja at home?

  • Place the picture or deity of Maa Durga on a raised stool or chowki
  • Decorate Goddess Durga with flowers and place the other puja items around the altar prepared
  • Place the clay pot in front of the goddess with soil, barley seeds, betel nuts, coin and put the mango leaves on it
  • Place the coconut on the mango leaves and cover with the red cloth
  • Arrange the fruits and sweets on a metal plate and keep a glass of water
  • Light the diyas, incense sticks
  • You can draw alpana (rangoli) patterns in front of Goddess Durga and decorate as you wish
  • Chant Durga mantras and pray with sincerity
  • Complete the puja with aarti using camphor

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