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"Durga Puja has become a multi-purpose occasion during which the Bengalis in Hong Kong bond as a community - through familiar smells, tastes and sounds, as well as through working together on marking a spiritual and social identity that is special to them and their next generation."
—Siumi Maria Tam and Winsome Lee
Extract of the article:
"Durga Puja, or the worship of Durga, is one of the most important festivals in India, and the biggest religious occasion for the Bengalis. It is the time to commemorate the Hindu goddess Durga’s victory over the demon buffalo, and hence a celebration of victory of good over evil. In Sanskrit Durga means invincible or inaccessible, representing the power of the Supreme Being, and is worshipped as the divine mother who preserves moral order and righteousness. Durga Puja is celebrated differently in various regions of India, and the length of the festival may vary from four to ten days. The festival includes daily worship, chanting and fasting, with the last four days celebrated in grandeur and feasting. Everywhere in India, Durga devotees build an outdoor pandal, or altar, specifically for this important occasion. Inside the pandal sits a huge sculpture of the goddess - Durga is depicted as a warrior wearing red, riding a lion or tiger, and with her ten arms each carrying different weapons she overpowers the demon buffalo." (Tam and Lee 2015:62)
Want to know more about the Indian festival Durga Puja? Click here and read the full text article (published in Hong Kong Discovery Vol. 86 on 13 Jan 2015).
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