Essay on Durga Puja Festival Celebrations for Students and Children
Durga Puja Essay: Durga Puja is also known as Durgoutsav, is the biggest festival of Hindus celebrated for worshipping Goddess Durga. It is a festival of good wins over evil. This festival celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo evil Mahishasura. This festival also represents “Shakti” – the power of women in the Universe. This is a festival of Hindu religion and culture which takes place in Ashwin month. The states such as West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Tripura, Manipur, Jharkhand, and other East India states are famous for celebrating Durga Puja. Short Story on Durga Puja in English.
The celebration takes place for ten days by tradition. The last four days of the festival that is Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Vijayadashami are celebrated with great enthusiasm and belief. The celebration of Durga Puja depicts the cultural values and customs and reunites family and friends. This year, Durga Puja will be celebrated from 4th October to 8th October, till the immersion of the idol. Essay on Durga Puja in 1000 words.
Durga Puja Festival Details
As depicted in mythology, Himalaya is the father and Menka is the mother of Goddess Durga. Later for getting married to Lord Shiva the Goddess became “Sati”. It is also depicted that Lord Rama was worshipping Goddess Durga to become powerful and destroy the powerful Ravana.
In mythology, it depicts that three Lords Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu convey Goddess Durga to destroy Mahishasura. She destroyed Mahishasura for protecting the earth from his violence. After this, Goddess Durga defeated Mahishasura on this auspicious day. The war continued for ten days, on the tenth day Goddess Durga defeated Mahishasura. Thereafter, people celebrate the tenth day as Dussehra or Vijayadashmi.
Durga Puja (दुर्गा पूजा) celebrations vary depending on the place, customs, and beliefs. This festival is celebrated in many ways in different places in India. Some places it is celebrated for 5 days, some places for 7 days and some places for the full 10 days. Durga puja begins from the sixth day which is “Shashti” and ends on the tenth day which is “Vijayadashami”. It teaches people to fight with evil and come forward with the real victory in life.
People begin this festival by installing many handiwork goddess Durga idols in various pandals. Goddess Durga idols hold various weapons in ten hands and sit over the Lion. She got victory over Mahishasura for weakening the evilness. In Durga puja, people visit the decorated pandals and pray to the goddess. At this festival, people enjoy decorated stages, dance programs, a variety of foods and games.
Performance of Rituals in Durga Puja
Durga puja celebrated for six days. The festival begins after Mahalaya. After this, people invite the goddess Durga to earth and draw her eyes in the idols. The sixth day is known as Sashthi which is the beginning of the goddess Durga’s journey to earth. The decorated idols of the goddess are unveiled and worshipped on this day. The Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami are the main celebration of the goddess as well as the worship of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya.
The idols of goddess Durga are invoked with life by performing the Pran Pratisthan ritual on Saptami. People perform the “Kola Bou” ritual by wrapping a banana tree in a sari and bathed like a newly wedded bride in a river. This process is performed to transport the goddess Durga energy.
On Ashtami, some people celebrating Kumari Puja by worshipping unmarried young girls in different places of India. In this puja, the young girl’s feet are washed and applied Alata, a red-colored liquid to them before starting puja. After this, food and sweets are given to them for eating. The Chamunda form of Durga who got victory over Mahisasur is worshipped in the evening is known as Sandhi Puja.
Navami is the last day of the rituals of the festival. People perform a grand Aarati to complete the festival celebrated on this day. Some people also perform Ayodhya puja on a ninth day in different places in India. On this day, people worship instruments and other items to bring happiness and accomplish goals in life.
The tenth day is known as Vijaya Dashami, people believe that the goddess returns to her husband’s home. People arrange the immersion procession of Goddess Durga idols into the river with devotion. Vijayadashami is also known as Dussehra. People celebrate Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana by burning the big statues of Ravana and performing fireworks at night.
Significance of Durga Puja
People believe that celebrating Durga puja brings mental peace and happiness in life. Durga puja also encourages people to become the success over the complications which they face in their life. In this puja, people worship goddess Durga to destroy the negative energy and thoughts around them. It also helps people to get knowledge and prosperity and get off from sin. This celebration not only has a religious impact but also forms a stage for traditional and communal conversation. In this puja, some people perform fast and chant mantras of goddess Durga in various ways.
Celebration of Durga Puja in West Bengal
Durga puja is the big festival in West Bengal. West Bengal people usually perform full of pandal decorations and lightings in the cities. They celebrate this puja with great joy and devotion. Also, tourists visit this place to become part of this celebration. Durga puja is a grand celebration for West Bengal people. They perform this puja with all the rituals for ten days. Schools and offices also declare holidays to enjoy and celebrate Durga puja. People share gifts with their family and friends. The celebration involves the Hindu faith as well as other religions present at Bengal. People over there wear traditional outfits to enjoy the celebration.
Conclusion
People in India celebrate and enjoy this important festival regardless of their religion, background, and status. This festival is especially popular among the people of West Bengal and Odisha. The most essential part of this festival is dance and cultural programs. People also enjoy a variety of delicious traditional foods at this festival. The Kolkata city embellishments with shops and food stalls. That is why many Bengalis and foreigners enjoy delicious foods and sweets. All offices, schools, and institutes remain closed in West Bengal. Durga puja depicts that good wins over the bad.
500+ Words Essay on Durga Puja
Durga Pooja is a Hindu festival celebration of the Mother Goddess and the victory of the warrior Goddess Durga over the demon Mahisasura. The festival represents female power as ‘Shakti’ in the Universe. It is a festival of Good over Evil. Durga Pooja is one of the greatest festivals of India. In addition to being a festival for the Hindus, it is also time for a reunion of family and friends, and a ceremony of cultural values and customs.
The significance of Durga Pooja
While the ceremonies bring observance of fast and devotion for ten days, the last four days of the festival namely Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Vijaya-Dashami are celebrated with much sparkle and magnificence in India, especially in Bengal and overseas.
The Durga Pooja celebrations differ based on the place, customs, and beliefs. Things differ to the extent that somewhere the festival is on for five days, somewhere it is for seven and somewhere it is for complete ten days. Joviality begins with ‘Shashti’ – sixth day and ends on the ‘VijayaDashmi’ – the tenth day.
Background of Durga Pooja
Goddess Durga was the daughter of Himalaya and Menka. She later became Sati to get married to Lord Shiva. It is believed that the festival of Durga pooja started since the time Lord Rama worshipped the goddess to get a grant of powers from her to kill Ravana.
Some communities, especially in Bengal the festival is celebrated by decorating a ‘pandal’ in the close regions. Some people even worship the goddess at home by making all the arrangements. On the last day, they also go for immersing the statue of the goddess into the holy river the Ganges.
We celebrate Durga Pooja to honor the victory of good over evil or light over darkness. Some believe another story behind this festival is that on this day the goddess Durga defeated the demon Mahisasura. She was called upon by the all three Lords – Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu to eradicate the demon and save the world from his cruelty. The battle went on for ten days and finally, on the tenth day, Goddess Durga eliminated the demon. We celebrate the tenth day as Dussehra or Vijayadashami.
Rituals Performed During Durga Pooja
The festivities begin from the time of Mahalaya, where the devotees request Goddess Durga to come to the earth. On this day, they make the eyes on the statue of the Goddess during an auspicious ceremony named Chokkhu Daan. After establishing the idol of Goddess Durga in place, they perform rituals to raise her blessed presence into the idols on Saptami.
These rituals are called ‘Pran Pratisthan’. It consists of a small banana plant known a Kola Bou (banana bride), which is taken for a bath in a nearby river or lake, outfitted in a sari, and is used as a way for carrying the Goddess’s holy energy.
During the festival, the devotees offer prayers to the Goddess and worshiped her in several different forms. After the evening aarti ritual is done on the eighth day it is a tradition for the religious folk dance which is performed in front of the Goddess in order to gratify her. This dance is performed on the musical beats of drums while holding a clay pot filled with burning coconut covering and camphor.
On the ninth day, the worship is completed with a Maha Aarti. It is symbolic of the ending of the major rituals and prayers. On the last day of the festival, Goddess Durga goes back to her husband’s dwelling and the goddess Durga’s statutes are taken for immersion in the river. The married women offer red vermillion powder to the Goddess and mark themselves with this powder.
Conclusion
All people celebrate and enjoy this festival irrespective of their castes and financial status. Durga Pooja is an enormously communal and theatrical celebration. Dance and cultural performances are an essential part of it. Delicious traditional food is also an enormous part of the festival. The street of Kolkata flourishes with food stalls and shops, where several locals and foreigners enjoy mouth-watering foodstuff including sweets. To celebrate Durga Pooja, all workplaces, educational institutions, and business places remain closed in West Bengal. Besides Kolkata, Durga Pooja is also celebrated in other places like Patna, Guwahati, Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Bhubaneswar, and so on. Many non-residential Bengali cultural establishments organize Durga Pooja in several places in the UK, USA, Australia, France, and other countries. Thus, the festival teaches us that good always wins over the evil and so we should always follow the right path.
LONG & SHORT DURGA PUJA ESSAY IN ENGLISH
Once the idols of Goddess Durga have been set up in place, a ritual is performed to raise her blessed presence into the idols on Saptami. This ritual is recognized as Pran Pratisthan. It comprises a small banana plant known a Kola Bou (banana bride), which is taken for a bath in a nearby river, outfitted in a sari, and is used as a medium for carrying the Goddess’s holy energy.
During every day of the festival, prayers are offered to the Goddess and she is worshiped in her several different forms. On the day of Ashtami, Goddess Durga is worshiped as a virgin girl in a ritual known as the Kumari Pooja. The word Kumari has been derived from Sanskrit word Kaumarya, which means virgin. The young girls are worshiped as a symbol of the celestial female energy. It is done with the aim of developing the purity and sacredness of women in society. It is believed that the holiness and purity of Goddess Durga come down into the girl after the pooja is completed.
After the evening aarti ritual is done on Ashtami, it is a tradition for the religious Dhunuchi folk dance which is performed in front of the Goddess in order to gratify her. This dance is performed on the musical beating of drums while holding a clay pot filled with burning coconut covering and camphor.
On Navami, the worship is finished with a Maha Aarti, which is symbolic of the ending of the chief rituals and prayers.
On the last day of the festival, goddess Durga goes back to her husband’s dwelling and the goddess Durga’s statutes are taken for immersion in the river. The women who are married offer red vermillion powder to the Goddess and mark themselves with this powder. This powder signifies the status of marriage, and as a result, fertility and the ability to have children.
Belur Math which is located in Kolkata organizes a wide-ranging program of rituals for Durga Pooja, together with a Kumari Pooja. The ceremony of Kumari Pooja was initiated by Swami Vivekananda at Belur Math during the year 1901 so as to make sure that women were appreciated and respected as they deserve to be.
What to Expect During Durga Pooja?
The Durga Pooja festival is an enormously communal and theatrical event. Dance, drama, and cultural performances are an essential part of it. Delicious traditional food is also a very big part of the festival, and street of Kolkata flourish with food stalls and shops, where several localities and foreigners enjoy mouth-watering foodstuff including sweets.
Enormous fanfare and celebration occur during the days of Durga Pooja celebrations.
To celebrate Durga Pooja, all workplaces, educational institutions, and business places stay closed in West Bengal. Traditional Bengali food and other wonderful dishes are prepared during the festival. Besides Kolkata, Durga Pooja is also celebrated in other places like Guwahati, Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Bhubaneswar, and so on. Many non-residential Bengali cultural establishments organize Durga Pooja in several places in USA, UK, Germany, Australia, France, and other countries.
Hopefully, this Durga Pooja essay has satisfied your curiosity when it comes to the Indian festival of Durga Pooja.