India’s mother of strength, power and wisdom graced the city with her presence as the Durga Puja festival was celebrated in style over the weekend.
The five-day Bengali festival, from Oct. 10 to 14, was put on by the executive committee of UTSAB, which is a cultural heritage group of Bengal, at a Hindu temple in Burnaby.
“For the Bengalis, this is the most important festival,” Leena Roy, the society’s general secretary, told the Burnaby NOW. “Whichever part of the world we’re in, we celebrate Durga Puja.”
The group rented out a section of the local Hindu temple and filled the halls with drumming, prayers, good deeds and socializing, as Roy said it’s a time for new families to meet.
“It’s a special kind of drum,” Roy said about the dhak. “The moment you hear the beat of the drum, it fills the air. When you hear that, you get the feeling of Durga Puja right here. It fills your heart and mind with a festive feeling, with the joy. … Ladies and men will also do a special kind of dance in front of the goddess. It’s a beautiful, festive feeling.”
The festival celebrates the goddess Ma Durga, who is called down for the five days and destroys evil in the universe.
“We believe in bringing her on this Earth once a year because we feel that somehow, throughout the year, different kinds of evil forces try to take over and create an imbalance,” Roy noted. “Therefore, once a year, we call her, we welcome her on this Earth to take away, to destroy all the evil forces and fill the universe with goodness (and) strength.”
A special priest performed a ceremony, and each day, the society organized two large meals in the afternoon and evening.
Roy said the afternoon meals fed about 175 people, while the evening meals saw more than 300 every day.
“This has actually been the sixth year of the celebration,” she said. “We started off on a small scale, and every year it’s been growing and getting better with more response from people, more help and support … coming in.”
Roy noted that people from any religious or cultural background are welcome to join in on the harmonious, colourful and positive celebrations.
“We embrace every religion, our door’s open to all faiths,” she added. “She’s (Ma Durga) supposed to be the mother of the universe. Children … and seniors come and try to get the maximum blessing for the rest of the year.”
