Festival in West Bengal

Festivals of West Bengal would not only enliven your spirits but also would be a warm welcome from the monotonous schedule of your regular life. The festivals of the state of West Bengal are in fact characterized by joyous ceremonies, enthusiasm paralleled with ample fun and celebration. Not only that during the festive celebrations the rich and the poor alike assemble together to enhance the spirit of their festive moods. The festivals of West Bengal embody the robust and composite cultural heritage of our nation. Various communities of the Indian subcontinent celebrate as many as forty festivals with complete communal concordance. The most important festival of West Bengal is;

Durga Puja Durga Puja is the most important festival of West Bengal. The familiar sounds of drums or `Dhak`, the `Dhunuchi nach`, the mild fragrance of the Shiuli blossoms gives a tug at every Bengali heart. This festival is observed in the months of September/October and in not only limited to Bengal only. For the Bengali community the advent of Goddess Durga along with her children from her icy abode in Kailash to her maternal house is believed to bring prosperity among the rich and poor alike.

Naba Borsho This much-awaited festival of West Bengal is the New Year celebration of the Bengali community and is celebrated in the month of Baisakh or in the month of April. It is an extreme joyous occasion for the Bengalis and the businessmen in particular. It is a great time for visiting the temples and relatives, making offerings, buying new clothes, greeting people and much more.

Kali Puja The worship of Goddess Kali makes the festival of Diwali in the state of West Bengal very unique. The houses and temples all over the state are vivaciously decorated and lit with oil lamps, candles or `diyas`. All the family members gather around in the evening for the worship of Goddess Lakshmi. In this state the Diwali festival stretches over a period of three days. The first two days mainly comprises of feasting, gambling, drinking, family foregathering, lighting of fire crackers and other such activities. The celebrations and lights are much less on the final day of Amavasya. Exchange of gifts and greetings also form a vital part of the festivities.

Dol Purnima The festive celebration of Holi also known as Dol Utsav, in the state of West Bengal is almost similar to that of Orissa except for some minor aspects. The other names by which the festival of Holi is popular in this state are `Dol Purnima`, `Vasant Utsav`. This festival was started in this state by the far-famed pet laureate Rabindranath Tagore at the Vishwa Bharati University of which he was the pioneer. The youth of the state not only welcomes the season of spring with colors and sweets but also by chanting of hymns and other devotional songs. Holika is burnt in the evening as the symbol of the victory of good over evil. etc