 One of the festivals widely celebrated in India, especially Northern and Eastern parts of India, is Durga Puja. Its most common in Bengal, Bihar,Tripura, Jharkhand, and Orissa. One of the notable mentions is Bengal, where the festivities take a huge prominence. Puja reaches its full moon within the last four days from Maha-Shashti to the day when the idols take a water dip, which is held on the eve of Dashami.
Looking at the religious side of Durga Puja, the legend talks about the descent of Goddess to earth on Shashthi.
She arrives on the sixth day (shashthi) and leaves on the tenth day (Dashmi). The whole festival is ten day long. The preparation of the festivities starts weeks before the actual event where people clean up their houses and adorn them as a welcome sign. Moreover, there the celebration is not on individual basis, but gifts are exchanged as well to share the celebration with the rest of the community. In India, no celebration is complete without a sweet dessert. So is Durga Puja.
The historic legacy of the Puja points towards a religious basis, but the turn of time has transformed this festival into something much more than sacred praying ritual. It’s a social event where people from eastern and northern states of India participate fully to enjoy the four days of the celebration. The most popular state is Bengal with its city Calcutta totally renewed into a celebration venue. Like other events, Durga Puja marks its own taste of culture. The dance, the celebration feast, the melody and music, all signify the importance of the event. On the social side of the event, the youth competes to bring forth their taste in fashion and style. In a way, the citizens find a way to give air to their sensibilities through a multidimensional event.
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