East India Celebrating Diwali with Kali Puja

Everywhere in India, people celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, with great majesty. The world is shown the splendor of Diwali at this time of year when every window and road twinkles. Lanterns, earthen lamps, and fairy lights are commonly used in homes to dispel darkness. Each area of India has its own Diwali customs because the country is a melting pot of cultures with a wide range of heritage and beliefs.2023's Diwali falls on a Sunday, November 12, to be exact. Every state has its customs and celebrations for Diwali. It still doesn't change the fundamentals of appreciating everything good in life. Let's look at one of the distinctive Diwali customs.- Worshiping goddess Kali in East India. Depending on the tithi, Bengali Kali Puja is usually held one day following Diwali in Northern India. Legend has it that the celebration represents the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance."While the majority of North India celebrates one of the largest Hindu festivals of the year by worshiping Maa Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha, Kerala celebrates Lord Krishna and people in West Bengal, the Mithila region of Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and Tripura worship Maa Kali. Revisiting Powers Of Goddess Kali:  The Hindu word Kala, which means both "black" and "time," has a feminine form called Kali. Kali is eternal, existing outside of time, both before and after. She is also unconstrained by the distinctions between light and dark, good and evil. This relationship with time, blackness, and creation is exemplified by the other names that people know her by. Scripture refers to Goddess Kali as "Rudira paana Priyaa," which means "One who is fond of drinking blood." Here, the Asuras—a group of natural demons—rather than an innocent animal are the ones whose blood this is. Few major holy chants with reference to Goddess Kali are listed below:  'Kali who is time' 'Kali who devours time' 'Kali who is the Mother of time' 'Kali who is black" Power itself is the goddess Kali. She is fundamentally the same as power, or Shakti, and cannot exist apart from it. She doesn't "get" her power from outside sources. She already possesses all power in all places.  Kali Puja is the festival of shimmer and twinkling lights. Goddess Kali is the Shakti, or angry form of Maa Durga. It is the celebration of destroying evil and establishing goodness and truth. Another name for Diwali is Shyama Puja. It usually occurs on Amavashya Day, which is thought to be the most fortunate day. On this day, the people of Bengal, Orissa, and Assamese worship the goddess Kali; on Diwali, people in other parts of India worship the goddess Lakshmi.The entire city was once adorned with lights of hope and protection from Ma Kali, reflecting joyous lights throughout the streets and lanes. Every market is bustling with people going about their last-minute shopping.There is something distinct about the joyous atmosphere of Kali Puja. Everything appears to be gleaming like diamonds and gold. Cracker noise is coming from everywhere, and everyone, young and old alike, is having a good time. Everyone is grinning and greeting each other with gifts and candies. The beauty of the Diwali night is akin to that of a stunning bride who is adorned in priceless jewelry!