Durga Puja is a festival of joy, ecstasy and victory over evil. It is believed that Durga Maa visits Earth, her maiden home with her four children - Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and Kartikeya - every year. This year, Durga Puja will begin on 20th October (Sashti) and continue till 24th October (Dashami or Dussehra).
The vibrant colour of red is highly associated with the theme of this auspicious festival. It is the colour of womanhood, love, lust and passion.
What Is Sindur Khela?
Bengal’s famous festival Durga Puja is widely known for the joyous celebration that it brings under the blessings of Maa Durga. From Dhunochi Naach to Shada Lal Paar Saree (white saree with red border), this festival has gained immense popularity pan-India.
Apart from this, Durga Puja is immensely famous for its Vijaya Dashami ritual of Sindur Khela or Shidur Khela. This is a ritual that married women perform with each other and their idol of Durga Maa where they play with vermillion. Sindur () Khela is also known as Devi Boron in Bengali. This ritual is performed right before Visarjan.
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The Significance Of Sindur Khela
Durga Puja is incomplete without Sindur Khela in Dashami. It is the symbolism of womanhood, passion and love. The colour defines strength and vigour while sindur or vermillion is symbolic for the married woman.
Sindur Khela is played every year on Vijaya Dashami before Goddess Durga leaves for her in-laws in Mount Kailash to her husband Shiva. When a married woman visits her parents' house, it is celebrated joyously with dance, music and various offerings, and when she leaves, she is bid farewell with sweets and vermillion. The vermillion is applied by married women on other women’s foreheads, cheeks and nose.
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Even though the ritual is a joyous one, the feeling behind is that of separation and grief of seeing a daughter leave her house. Other than Bengal, states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Assam also celebrate the festival.
Significance Of Red Saree
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On several occasions, Bengali women can be spotted in a red and white saree. The value of this saree in the life of a Bengali woman is immeasurable. The white in the saree represents purity while the red is a symbol of fertility, love and passion. Bengali women also wear red and white bangles (shankha, pola) as a sign of being married.
Image courtesy: Unsplash
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