Durga Puja: the 9 days festival

On the 28 march 2017 will begin the Durga Puja, also called the nine days fete. It begins at the same date than the Hindu New Year. Hindus are in the era of Vikram Samvat, which started 57 before the Christian era. According to their lunar calendar, we are in 2074.

Durga Puja is a fete in honour of Durga, goddess of power in Hindu religion. In some parts of India, Durga puja is celebrated twice a year, during the months of Ashwin and Chaitra.

Durga is one of the most fearsome deities of the Hindu pantheon. She is the personification of the action power of Shiva (god of destruction, but we’ll speak about it later). Durga is the reincarnation of Parvati, Shiva’s wife. Parvati has 9 reincarnations, each of them are celebrated during one of the 9 days.

During Durga Puja, Hindu people celebrate the victory of Durga over the demon Mahishasura, and so the victory of good over bad. It is a period of great joy for everybody, and we buy new clothes for the occasion.

Some idols representing the goddess are settled. Durga is represented wearing a red sari, with ten arms, each holding a weapon. Those weapon have been given to her by some other gods (Vishnu’s disc, Kumara’s spear, Surya’s bow and arrows, Chandra’s axe, Yama’s mace, Agni’s axe, Vayu’s conch and Shiva’s trident). She is sitting on a huge lion.

During the Durga Puja, Durga is surrounded by the idols of Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and fortune), of Saraswati (goddess of knowledge and wisdom) and also by Ganesh and kartik. Flowers and sweets are offered to them, during several worship rituals.

The last days of the fete, the idol, dressed with sumptuous clothes and jewels, are immerse in water. To close the celebration, people invite a group of 9 little girls, supposed to represent the goddess, to eat and they offer them gifts.

One of the most important reincarnations of Parvati is Kali, the black. She has a scaring aspect, tongue out,  eyes bulging, she wears a necklaces of human heads and she stands on a dead body, sometimes Shiva’s body. She is particularly adorated in the East of India.