Mahalaya

Bengali significance

In Bengal, Mahalaya (Bengali: মহালয়া) (Mahalaya Amavasya) usually marks the beginning of Durga Puja festivities. Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the Bengalis, is celebrated annually during the Hindu calendar month Ashvin (September and October). The celebration begins with Mahalaya. Mahalaya is the day when the goddess Durga is believed to have descended to Earth. Bengali people traditionally wake up early in the morning on Mahalaya to recite hymns from the Devi Mahatmya (Chandi) scripture. Every Bengali household wakes up at dawn to listen to a collection of songs and mantras known as Mahisasuramardini that recounts goddess Durga’s birth and eventual triumph over the demon king Mahishasura. Offerings to the ancestors are made in homes and at puja mandaps (temporary shrines).