While most parts of India will celebrate the festival of light, Diwali, on Wednesday, people in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and Tripura are celebrating Kali Puja on Tuesday.
Kali Puja or Shayma Puja is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, which coincides with Lakshmi Puja in other parts of the country.
Timing:
This year’s Kali Puja timing –
Kali Puja Nishita Time: 11:48 pm to 12:40 am
Duration: 52 Mins
Amavasya Tithi Begins: 10:27 pm on 6 November 2018
Amavasya Tithi Ends: 9:31 pm on 7 November 2018
Significance and celebration:
The tradition of Kali Puja started in the 18th century and gained popularity when the zamindars (landowners) started to patronise the festival widely across Bengal.
Goddess Kali is worshipped with Tantric rites and mantra in the night and worshippers pray to the clay sculpture in homes or pandals. People who follow the tantric rites offer the goddess red hibiscus flowers, animal blood in a skull, sweets, rice and lentils, fish and meat.
Whereas worshippers who follow the Brahmanic rituals (non-tantric) do not sacrifice any animals and worship Adya Shakti Kali – a form of the Goddess. The devotees often observe a fast on Kali Puja which is observed till all the rituals are completed.