NOVEL~*Hiding behind a Stranger*~THREAD 34~Chapter 39(2 PARTS)SEP 17th - Page 119

Originally posted by: Bindu.

This Navami lets pray that no Durga is aborted, no Saraswati is stopped from going to school, no Lakshmi has to beg for money from husband, no Parvati is sacrificed for dowry, no Sita has to suffer in silence and no Kali is given a tube of fairness cream.

Happy Dussehra,Banjaras!😃

Vijayadashami Shubhakankshalu!! 🤗

Originally posted by: Kalgi22

Good morning Periamma, Bindu, Rose, Bond and all my Baisas!😃

Good evening Lana!😃

Happy Dussehra / Vijayathasami darlings🤗

Originally posted by: lghosh

Is this going around in India? This same message was sent to me by Lavanya in WA. Completely agree though! 👍🏼

Originally posted by: binduprasad41

Such a beautiful and positive wishes bond

So true...

Thank you

Lana di

Enjoy your durga puja and keep sharing pictures. ...🤗

Kal di 🤗

Lana...a very interesting write-up about MahaDashami . Thanks so much for sharing it here.🤗

What a sweet ritual - touching the feet of elders from Dashami until Kali Puja.👍🏼

Have lots of fun during the Durga Puja, Lana. And yes, as usual, looking forward to the pictures.😃

Bindu...powerful lines.👏

Chellam... Ayudha Pooja -hope you had a wonderful time.😊

Bindup ...🤗 A great weekend to you, too, dearie.

Originally posted by: lghosh

Another typical ritual in Bijoya Dashami is Kolakuli! Kola Kuli is apparently a Bengali tradition where men embrace each other after certain rituals.

Also when I was young I remember writing Durga naam on banana leaves in red ink in a quilt pen. We had to write the names in odd numbers.

Then from Dashami evening supposedly after Mother Durga have been immersed in Ganges all the youngers would do pranam to the elders by touching their feet. This ritual goes on till Kali Puja in Diwali! People visit their relative's homes wherever there are elders and they do this pranam and people are always offered some form of sweets! So if you have a sweet tooth then this time of the year is residing in paradise for you! 😃

Anyway, I will be there for a little while tomorrow morning but the weekend I will be out for Durga puja here which we perform only on weekends. So will login on Monday. If I get a chance will try to login from there with pictures of Durga Puja!

A very Happy Dusshera and Subho Bijoya Dashami in advance to all of you! 🤗😃

Originally posted by: lghosh

MahaDashami means the end of Durga Puja!! A gloom is in the air and with a heavy heart, we bid adieu to Mother Durga wishing and hoping she will grace our lives again next year with equal pomp, glow, happiness and her blessings! There are certain rituals in Bengal which is followed in Dashami.

Once Dashami puja is done Devi Durga is given special goodbyes by married women, "Devi Boron" is performed. Women do 'pranams' forming a long queue in front of Ma Durga and they touch faces of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati with betel leaves and betel nut (supuri). After that the priest shakes the 'ghot' signifying the end of Puja! Then immersion rituals are performed, Neelkanth bird is flown and after Devi Boron married women put vermillion, 'sindur' on each other signifying a happy marital bliss! On the day of Vijayadashami, women smear sindur on each other. Since sindur is a sign of a married woman, by following this ritual, women wish for a blessed marital life for one another. The ritual of Sindur Khela started some 400-450 years back in West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh, where a handful of women would gather and bid their goodbyes to Maa Durga, Saraswati, Laxmi, Kartikey and Lord Ganesha as they make their way back to heaven. They would clad themselves in traditional Bengali saris and jewellery, offer the idols with sweet delicacies and play Sindur Khela. The tradition that kick-started in the eastern part of the country has now become an essential part of Vijayadashami rituals across the country celebrating Durga Puja.

^{Women smear sindoor on each other after putting the sindur on Maa Durga's forehead.} It is believed that for these couple of days, Goddess Durga arrives to earth to her parents, and she is thus pampered with a variety of bhog and prasad. Thus, when she finally has to leave, women give her a grand farewell as any daughter going back to her husband's place would receive. While applying sindur on Goddess Durga's feet and forehead they also pray to the her for their happy and long married lives.