It's that time of the year when families come together to celebrate the arrival of Maa Durga. The auspicious occasion is celebrated for 10 days in total.
It is that time of the year when each and every family comes together to celebrate the arrival of Goddess Maa Durga all over India. The auspicious occasion is celebrated for 10 days at a stretch and people indulge in lots of good food, pandal hopping, family gatherings and parties.
With the city streets decorated with lights and stories depicted out of them uplifts the mood of every individual and fills the heart with joy. During this festive season, families follow certain rituals that includes alpana/rangolis, bhog, flower decorations and more. The families together get along for shopping, making sweets like ladoos, pedas, kheer, authentic vegetarian dishes that are served as bhog after the pujas. If you haven’t seen a durga puja or if you haven’t attended a navratri night then you might be missing out on some real fun.
Here are few things which you must experience during Durga Puja and Navratri:
1. Pandal Hopping
You must wander around the city especially in Kolkata to experience the beauty of theme pandals and authentic zamindar family pujas. It is totally a different experience that will blow your mind and give you a feeling of utmost strength. Travelling from south till the north then east to west , most pandals have unique features and their goddesses look different and gigantic.
The number of people on the streets will give you an idea of the reason behind India being the Second most populated country in the world. However, the diverse people around all together with one intention to praise the Goddess will give you all the more patriotic feeling. It might be over-crowded at places so be careful not to hurt yourself in the crowd. Experiencing the effect when people scream bolo Durga Maa ki strikes goosebumps and a fear for Goddess Shakti. You must reside to experience it and feel the shrill up your backbone.
2. Bhog/Prasad
