Navratri 2023: 9 Important Rituals Associated With Durga Puja That Makes It Extremely Special

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Durga Puja is one of the prominent festivals in India and it is on this day, Goddess Shakti is a prominent festival of India, and is celebrated especially by people belonging to the Hindu community.

Goddess Shakti or Durga is worshipped on these auspicious days and people engage in prayers, rituals, chant mantras, and prepare a bhog to please the Goddess and get her blessings.

These festivals are celebrated particularly in Northern parts of India. This year Durga Puja will begin on Friday, 20 October 2023, and will continue till Tuesday, 24 October 2023. The puja continues for four days, starting from Sashthi (6th day of Durga Puja) and ending on Dusshera (the tenth day or Vijayadashami).

During Durga Puja, Maa Durga is believed to arrive at her paternal home on earth with her children from Mount Kaisha. This day is also known as Navratri or Durgotsava and there are nine common rituals associated with this festival.

1. Akalbodhon
Durga Puja is celebrated from Sashthi or the sixth day in Hindu Bengali culture and therefore, "Akalbodhan" essentially means the untimely awakening or awakening at an unusual hour and refers to the early morning ritual on Mahalaya, which is the day that marks the beginning of the Devi Paksha and end of Pitru Paksha. Devotees invoke Goddess Durga on this day. Bengalis wake up at dawn, often before sunrise, to listen to the recitation of the 'Mahishasura Mardini' or 'Chandi Path.'

2. Nabapatrika Snan
This is another special ritual during Durga Puja and 'Nabapatrika Snan' is basically a ritual bath or cleansing ceremony observed during the Hindu festival of Navapatrika or Maha Saptami. Also, Nabapatrika represents nine leaves (They represent the nine forms of the female power Shakti &ndash Brahmani (banana), Kalika (colacassia), Durga (turmeric), Kartiki (jayanti), Shiva (wood apple), Raktadantika (pomegranate), Sokrahita (ashoka), Chamunda (arum) and Lakshmi (paddy)) and symbolically it represents 9 forms of Durga. Also, Nabapatrika is popularly called Kola Bou (banana bride) by Bengali Hindus during Durga Puja.

3. Anjali
This ritual of Anjali involves worship of the goddess, everyone else gets to pay their respect through Pushpanjali (floral offering made with cupped palms) and simultaneously the priests chants the mantras. This takes place on three days Soshti, Saptami, Ashtami and Navami. There is a shubh muhurat, which is kept in mind while following this ritual.

4. Kumari Puja
The word "Kumari" refers to a young, unmarried girl or a pre-pubescent girl. Kumari Puja, also known as Kumari Pujan or Kumari Darshan, and it is a Hindu ritual that involves the worship of a young girl who is considered to be the living embodiment of the goddess Durga. This is done on the eighth day of the puja. She is dressed in new clothes and decked up with floral jewelry.

5. Sandhi Puja

A significant ritual, Sandhi Puja marks the juncture of two specific timings during the festival - the last 24 minutes of Maha Ashtami (the eighth day) and the first 24 minutes of Maha Navami (the ninth day). This period, which totals 48 minutes, is considered highly auspicious and powerful. It celebrates the angry Chamunda form of Goddess Durga to kill demons, Chanda and Munda. One hundred and eight lamps are lit.

6. Dhunuchi Naach
This is a ritual that involves dace on the Navami (ninth day) evening. Clay pots are filled with burning charcoal on this day and people wear dhoti or saree hold it in their hands and start dancing to the beating of dhaak. Also, some people hold the clay pots on their head and place it on their mouths.

7. Sindur Khela
Hindu married women wear sindoor (sindur) or vermillion on their forehead and smeach other women with sindoor, before Goddess Durga is immersed in the river. Also, they offer sweets and sindoor to Goddess Durga. This ritual is known as Sindur Khela. This is observed on Vijaya Dashami or Dashami just before Visarjan.

8. Bisorjon (Visarjan)
On the tenth day, also known as Vijayadashami or Dussehra, the clay idols of Goddess Durga are immersed in water bodies like rivers or lakes. This symbolizes the goddess's return to her celestial abode which is Mount Kailash. It is the victory of good over evil. In Bonedi Bari (old traditional households) custom, idols are placed on a Bamboo platform carried by devotees on their shoulders, then on a boat and taken for immersion.

9. Bijoya
This day is known as Bijoya or Vijaya and it means victory. Young people touch the feet of elders on this day and elders bless them. People who are of the same age, engage in Kolakuli or hugs. Sweets from coconut and jaggery are made on this day, which is called naru (round sweets), and distributed among loved ones.

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