Each year during the Durga Puja the streets are filled with decorative pandals, the air is filled with the sound of dhak drums and hearts are filled with devotion. Durga Puja is not merely a festival, but it is a feeling. It has a combination of spirituality, community, art and bliss in a big cultural experience. And to look into the future, number one, all you need to know about Durga Puja 2025; dates, rituals and significant ways in which you can participate in the festivities.
Durga Puja is a celebration of the powerful, but also nurturing presence of the feminine power (Shakti), Goddess Durga. Hindu mythology states that she was born out of the collective force of the gods to overcome the buffalo demon Mahishasura which no other person could defeat.
The festival is a celebration of her triumph that represents the overcoming of evil, darkness and despair.
Although it is the most popularly observed in West Bengal, the festival is equally observed in Assam, Odisha, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand and some parts of northern and southern India. Pujas are also held by Indian communities worldwide making it a worldwide celebration of culture.
Durga Puja 2025 Dates and Calendar
Durga Puja comes in the Sharad Navratri season. Though Navratri is a 9 day festival, Durga Puja revolves around the last five days that are from Shashthi to Dashami. Here are the dates for 2025
| Day | Date | Occasion |
|---|---|---|
| Mahalaya | 21 September 2025 (Sunday) | Marks the symbolic descent of Goddess Durga to earth. Also a day to honour ancestors through tarpan rituals. |
| Maha Shashthi | 28 September 2025 (Sunday) | Beginning of the main festivities. The goddess is ceremonially “welcomed” into the pandals. |
| Maha Saptami | 29 September 2025 (Monday) | The first full day of rituals. Includes the Nabapatrika snan or bathing of nine sacred plants. |
| Maha Ashtami | 30 September 2025 (Tuesday) | The most powerful day. It involves Kumari Puja and Sandhi Puja. |
| Maha Navami | 1 October 2025 (Wednesday) | Final day of worship, marked by grand aarti and bhog offerings. |
| Vijaya Dashami | 2 October 2025 (Thursday) | The idols are immersed (Visarjan) as devotees bid farewell to the goddess. |
Durga Puja Rituals
All Durga Puja rituals are richly symbolic so here are the rituals for the five days:
Mahalaya
Mahalaya prepares the tune a week prior to the beginning of a Puja. The believers get up early in the morning to hear the famous radio reading Mahishasura Mardini which tells about the creation of Durga. Individuals pay tribute to their ancestors at the banks of the river hoping they bless them. It is the day, in which it is believed that Durga starts her trip leaving her celestial abode to go to her maternal home on earth.
Maha Shashthi
The pandals have the idols of Durga and her children. Ceremonies associated with invoking the goddess, Bodhan (invoking), Amantran (invoking) and Adhivas (consecrating her presence), are carried out by priests. It is the day when she officially arrives, the festive lamps are turned on, the dhakis (traditional drummers) start playing their rhythms, and the city turns out to be alive.
Maha Saptami
The Nabapatrika snan is the best place to be in Saptami. During the morning nine kinds of plants (representing the nine shapes of Durga) are bound and dipped into a river or water body. They are then dressed like a bride and are put next to the idol of Durga as Kola Bou (banana bride). The significance of this ritual is that the goddess has introduced abundance and fertility of nature in our lives. This day is the day of the first offerings and pushpanjali (flower prayers).
Maha Ashtami
The most sacred day of the festival is Ashtami. Devotees also make pushpanjali in the morning and most of them fast.
This day is characterised by two rituals:
- Kumari Puja: young girls are also worshiped as they are considered to be living incarnations of the energy of Durga.
- Sandhi Puja: This is performed at the very moment of the Ashtami-end and Navami-beginning (i.e. in the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and in the first 24 minutes of Navami). It celebrates the very instant when Durga killed Mahishasura. 108 lamps are lit, and the air is filled with electricity drumming, chanting, and conch shells.
During the evenings, there are well-known Dhunuchi Naach, a passionate dance with a burning incense earthen pot in the hands and huge aarti ceremonies.
Maha Navami
Navami commences with the grandest of all worship ceremonies which is the maha aarti. Another festival observed by devotees is the Ayudha Puja that is the worship of tools, books, and instruments which is an expression of respect to work and knowledge. Once the puja is complete the holy bhog (blessed food) is distributed to all. The performance of various cultural programs and shows goes into late in the night since this is the last full day of celebrations.
Vijaya Dashami
The festival of Dashami is emotional. Sindoor Khela is done by married women, they apply red sindoor to the deity and smear it on each other and hope to have a happy and long marriage.
The idols are soon removed in coloured processions followed by music, dancing and singing Aschho bochor abar hobe (she will come next year). The idols are then sunk in rivers or lakes, which represent the coming back of Durga to her divine home.
How to Celebrate Durga Puja in 2025
The magic of Durga Puja does not require one to be in Kolkata. You can make the most of it anywhere, as follows:
At Home
- Prepare a small avatar on which there is an image or idol of Durga.
- Also, give the flowers, incense, fruits, and sweets every morning and evening.
- Chant simple mantras or sing religious songs.
- Ask friends or neighbours to come to the aarti and bhog.
- Lighting up lamps during the dusk to bring the festive light.
In the Community
- Go to the local pandals and observe the art and creativity of the idols and decor.
- Attend cultural events like music, dancing or even volunteering.
- Participate in the procession during Dashami in your local committee.
Conclusion
Durga Puja is not a ritualistic thing, but it is a spiritual rejuvenation. It motivates us to invoke our inner goddess Durga, in order to rise to negativity, and to glorify what is good in life. It is a period when boundaries are erased, individuals of all walks of life come together, eat, dance alike and celebrate the joy of togetherness.
Now that the cries of Jai Maa Durga are resounding in the streets this year, it is time to celebrate in a controlled, inclusive and completely open-hearted manner. Durga Puja 2025 is not a calendar date rather a date of hope, power and unity.
