Indian Festival "Durga-Puja"
The Durga Puja is an important festival of India. It takes place in the month of Ashwin from the first to tenth day of the bright fortnight. It is an occasion of great enthusiasm and festivity for the Hindus. People return to their homes for celebrating the puja. The Puja is celebrated for 10 days but the image is installed on the seventh day. During the last three days the puja is celebrated with great pomp and gaiety. They are dressed in fine cloths and decked with beautiful ornaments.
Goddess Durga has ten arms in which she holds weapons. During the Puja the poor are fed, alms are distributed and prasad is distributed to the people. The Vijaya Dashmi is considered to be an auspicious day. On this day people visit their relatives. The people of the trading classes begin their new year from this day. At some places Ramlila is staged and Ravana is killed on the Dashmi day. There are various stroies connected with the vijaya dashmi. It is said that Ram killed Ravana on this day and performed the puja of Goddess Durga. The 3rd is that Goddess Durga killed Mahishasur, ademon on this day.
At some places the Durga Puja is performed twice in a year in Ashin & Chait. The puja of Ashwin is known at Shardiya Puja and that of Chait as Basant Puja. But the Basant Puja is not very common. People put on new cloths. The joys of children know no bounds.