Durga Puja 2025: Celebration of Faith, Culture and Food

Written by Shalini Vohra

Durga Puja, also known as Durga Utsav or Sharadotsav, is among the most important Hindu festivals celebrated across eastern India, especially in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Odisha, and by Bengali communities worldwide. It is a grand expression of devotion, culture, and community spirit, bringing people together in prayer, art, music, and feasting.

Dates for 2025

In 2025, Durga Puja will be celebrated from 28 September to 2 October.
The final five days mark the heart of the festivities: Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and finally Dashami, when the immersion (Visarjan) of Goddess Durga’s idol takes place amidst chants of “Bolo Durga Mai Ki Jai!” and “Asche Bochor Abar Hobe” (“She will return next year”).

Why It Is Celebrated

Durga Puja commemorates Goddess Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, symbolising the eternal triumph of good over evil. It coincides with Sharad Navratri and is observed in the lunar month of Ashwin (Sept–Oct).
Beyond its religious significance, Durga Puja has become a cultural and social extravaganza—marked by elaborately decorated pandals, artistic idols, musical performances, dance, and processions. It is also a time of family reunions, community bonding, and collective celebration.

Foods of Durga Puja

Food is central to the festival, both as sacred offerings (bhog/prasad) and as part of festive indulgence:

• Khichuri & Labra – a wholesome rice-lentil dish with mixed vegetables, served as bhog.
• Luchi & Alur Dom – deep-fried bread with spicy potato curry, a Puja-day favorite.
• Fish dishes – like doi maach (fish in curd gravy) or hilsa in mustard.
• Kosha Mangsho – slow-cooked mutton curry, a family feast highlight.
• Street food delights – phuchka, rolls, telebhaja (fritters), fish fries, found near pandals.
• Sweets – from rasgulla and sandesh to mishti doi, payesh, and chomchom.

More Than a Festival

Durga Puja is not only about worship but about the joy of togetherness—sharing meals, admiring art, celebrating culture, and strengthening bonds. It is devotion wrapped in festivity, where food, music, and tradition blend into one of India’s most vibrant celebrations.