Traditional Values Associated with Durga Pooja

Durga pooja is an annual Hindu festival celebrated all over India. The pooja marks the victory of Goddess Durga over evil Mahishasura. It denotes the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India. It is celebrated widely in Orissa, west Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkand, and Delhi, UP, Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab and Kashmir. People from all over India celebrate Durga pooja with fervor and dedication.

Traditional Values Of Durga Pooja in Different Parts of India

Although Durga pooja is celebrated all over India, the pooja and its rituals differ to a large extent in different parts of the country. In the northern part of the country, the festival begins with a nine day fast which is known as Navarathri. There are celebrations to mark the end of the festival which falls on the tenth day.

In the western part of India, both men and women participate in a special kind of dance known as the Dandiya and dance around the object of worship.

In the southern part of India, Dusehra is celebrated with great pomp and grandeur. Goddess Durga is worshipped in all forms on all the nine days. Along with Goddess Durga, Goddess Lakshmi and Sarswathi are also worshipped with great devotion and dedication.

In the eastern part of India, i.e. in Bengal, Durga pooja is celebrated with great devotion and pomp. There are public ceremonies or community worship. Huge temporary structures are created for mass feeding and worship ceremonies. Idols of Gods and Goddesses are taken out in a procession and emerged in holy water. Once the Goddess leaves earth to her abode, it is Vijayadashmi- a day when people visit each other with sweets and gifts.

People in Gujarat spend nine nights in song and dance. The dance is known as Garba dance. In addition to Garba dance, Dandia dance is also performed by most of the men and women of the region.

It is a time when businesses flourish with the huge demand for clothes, accessories, idols, sweets and so forth. Huge sales of all types of consumer durables and other commodities can be witnessed during this time. Festivals like Diwali and Dusehra ushers in prosperity, success, goodness and wealth.