India celebrates its freedom with a lot of pomp and show, at the end of September- beginning of October. The festival is known as Dussehra, which translates to “the victory.”
Dussehra is celebrated in India on the tenth day of the Hindu lunar month Kartik (October/November). It commemorates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. The festival is marked by various rituals and ceremonies that last for three days. The first day’s rituals are dedicated to installing deities such as Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort, and Ganesha, an elephant-faced god who symbolises wisdom and removes obstacles. The second day’s festivities celebrate family members with a feast at home. In the evening, people wear new clothes and head to watch a fire-dance.
This year, more than three-fourths of India’s 1.3 billion population will take part in the festivities. For five days Dussehra is celebrated with enormous pomp and show – pyrotechnic displays, performances by folk dancers in colourful costumes, colourful street lights and decorations on buildings and vehicles.
On the day of Dussehra, the sun is believed to be at its highest point, which is celebrated as Durga Puja. The presiding deity worshipped on this day is Durga or Mahishasuramardini, an aspect of goddess Lakshmi. History says when Mahishasur attacked the gods and goddesses, which resulted in their defeat, a goddess named Mahisasuramardini was born who was greater than her brother because she possessed all the powers.
The celebration in India dates back to ancient times, but only during the last century has it become a national festival which creates joy and enthusiasm all over India.
The day is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India. What follows are the major traditions observed in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha; other parts of India observe their own traditions:
Bengal: The Bengali people celebrate the festival with immense enthusiasm. On the first day (Dussehra) they celebrate by decorating their homes with lights and placing an effigy at home. On the second day they also celebrate by distributing sweets to their friends and family. On the third day they visit temples to seek blessings from God who incarnates as Ganesha on this day. They perform the puja, wear their best clothes and visit their friends to enjoy the festival.
Bihar: Dussehra is commonly known as Vijayadashami in the state of Bihar. On the day of Dussehra, people dress up in new clothes, wear ornaments and eat a grand feast which is prepared specially for the occasion. In villages like Madhubani and Mithila region, people celebrate a different kind of Dussehra – Chaupadi (चौपाडी) where Goddess Kali is worshipped by women who fast for 11 days and walk naked with green coloured body on Chaupadi day.
The women wear light colored clothes and carry a ‘drum’ (दुर्घाट) of green cloth tied with a red lace (राम दूस्त), in their hand and go to the banks of holy river Narmada in their bare wet feet. They sing chaste songs while they walk. On reaching the river, they cook ‘khakhra’ (a kind of rice-flour samosa which is cooked in chilli-oil) and eat it with yoghurt. After the feast, they take a bath in the holy water of Narmada river.
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