October 4, 2023: Durga Puja is a Hindu festival which pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga. It is celebrated because of Durga's victory over Mahishasura. Durga Puja is a ten-day festival in the month of ‘Ashwin’ (September –October). This year, the celebrations will begin from October 20 - 24, 2023. These five days are observed as Shasthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and Vijaya Dashami.

Durga Puja festival begins with Mahalaya, a day on which Hindus perform tarpaṇa by offering water and food to their dead ancestors. The next significant day is the sixth day (Sashthi), on which devotees welcome the goddess and festive celebrations are inaugurated. On the seventh day (Saptami), eighth (Ashtami) and ninth (Navami) days, the goddess along with Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya are revered and these days mark the main days of worship. Lastly, the festival ends on the tenth day i.e Vijaya Dashami.

According to Hindu Mythology, Goddess Durga returns to Mount Kailash on the tenth day of celebrations. On this day, People who worship Goddess Durga apply vermilion to their foreheads (Sindoor Khela) and perform Aarti. After that, a big procession is organised for the immersion of the idol, in which the goddess’s idol is decked out and transported to a sacred pond or river for immersion.

Mostly, Durga Puja festival is observed in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Bihar, and Maharashtra.