Durga Puja, a major Hindu festival celebrated, is celebrated with great fervour all over the world, and in fact, in several countries outside India as well.
Durga Puja is certainly one of the most important Hindu festivals in the world, and is a celebration of Hindu goddess Durga – the warrior and defeater of demons. As per mythology, Goddess Durga slayed the bull demon Mahishasura, and marked the victory of good against evil. And during the five days a year – the duration of Durga Puja – she descends back to her earthly home along with her divine children, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and Kartik.
The festival, which is celebrated with great enthusiasm, ends with the immersion of clay idols of the goddess in water bodies. Not just India, devotees from across the globe celebrate the festival and rejoice in it. In fact, despite having religious origins, Durga Puja has also evolved as a celebration of art and culture.
Check out how Durga Puja is celebrated in some countries outside India:
In Bangladesh, Durga Puja is celebrated as a national holiday, and is known as Bijoya Dashami. All over the country, pandals (temporary temples) are erected, and specially on the fifth day of the festival, known as Mahalaya, people also decorate their homes. On the sixth day, known as Shashthi, people install the idols of Durga in the pandals.
On Saptami, the puja begins, and continues for the next three days. On the tenth and final day, known as Vijay Dashami, the idols of Durga and her divine children are finally immersed in rivers and lakes.
In Nepal, the festival is known as Dashain and is celebrated for 15 days. While the first nine days are for the worship of the goddess Durga, the last six days are dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva, her husband. On the first day of the festival – Ghatasthapana – people plant a barley seed in a pot of soil, and worship it as it is said to represent the goddess Durga. On the seventh day of Dashain, known as Fulpati, they offer flowers to the goddess Durga. Finally, on the tenth day, known as Tika, devotees get a tika (auspicious red mark) from their elders.
Durga Puja in the United States sees devotees erecting pandals in community centres and temples, as they come together to worship Goddess Durga. Same goes for the United Kingdom, where devotees pray at the temples and community centres across the country.
In countries with significant Hindu populations, including Australia, Canada, and Singapore, devotees worship the goddess Durga – a symbol of strength, power, and courage.
