Mahalaya 2022: From Date, Rituals To Significance, Here’s All You Need To Know

Mahalaya 2022: Festive season officially begins! The long awaited festive fervor has finally arrived. Mahalaya marks the commencement of Durga Puja. It is observed at the end of Shradh or Pitru Paksha, a 16-day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. This year, this special day will be celebrated on September 25. Not only does this annual event hold a religious and spiritual significance, but it also reminds us of the power of truth, of courage and of the universal fact that in the end, good will always triumph over evil.Also Read – Navratri 2022: Why is Navratri Celebrated For 9 Days? Here’s What You Should Know

Celebration of Mahalaya is paramount is it opens the window to the festive colours that take place for the rest of the years.

Rituals

People believe that today, Goddess Durga officially begins her journey y from Mount Kailash — where she resides with her husband Lord Shiva -to her maternal home on Earth. As per the Hindu calendar, the celebrations of Mahalaya begin a week before the Durga Puja celebrations.

The occasion is associated with different practices and rituals. Many people perform ‘tarpan’ on this day to offer prayers to the departed souls of their ancestors and give ‘bhog’ to the Brahmins, along with food and materials to the needy. People even prefer listening to the Mahishasuramardini composition.
On Mahalaya, every Bengali household wakes up early in the morning — even before the sun. Some Hindu households offer the ritual of pitru tarpan during this day wherein they offer prayers and offerings (pind-daan) on the banks of the river Ganga for the departed ancestors.

Significance

Mahalaya is the beginning of Debi Paksha (the era of the goddess) and is sobserved o the last of Pitru Paksha (the 16-day lunar day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors/Pitrs)

In the Bengali community, Mahalaya is an auspicious day that heralds Durga Puja. Officially the celebrations begin from this day marking the arrival of Goddes Durga from Kailash Oarvat to Earth. As it its also makes the end of Pitr Paksha, it is also known as Sarva Pitra Amavasya.

Shubho Mahalaya!