Ushasi Bhattacharya, Sujay Kumar Mandal
Volume-XII, Issue-III, April 2024
Volume-XII, Issue-III, April 2024 | ||
Published Online: 30.04.2024 | Page No: 238-246 | |||
Exploring Agricultural Aspects in Durga Puja Rituals in Bengal Ushasi Bhattacharya, Independent Researcher, Department of Folklore, University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India. Sujay Kumar Mandal, Professor, Department of Folklore, University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India. | |
Durga Puja, a significant festival in India which is celebrated in the post-monsoon season has immense cultural, social, and economic significance. This festival fosters farmers a temporary relaxation and cultural engagement from their toilsome agricultural activities. This celebration serves as a platform for community belongingness, exchanging ideas, participating in rituals associated to agriculture, seeking blessings for a prosperous harvest and performing ceremonies related to crop fertility. Further, Durga Puja nurtures economic activities in local markets, indirectly benefiting agriculture by raising demand for agricultural products. Moreover, eco-friendly initiatives, such as utilizing by-products in making idols and pandal decorations, reflects the festival’s symbiotic relationship with agriculture and ecological sustainability. This paper focuses on how Durga Puja contributes to the cultural, social, and economic impact on the farmers, nurturing a sense of community bonding and traditions related to agriculture. | |
Keywords: Durga Puja, Agriculture, Sapta Dhanya, Ghatasthapan, Nabapatrika. |