Kanya Puja 2024
Kanya Puja is an important ritual performed during the Navratri festival in Hinduism on the eighth and ninth days (Ashtami and Navami). The ceremony consists of worshipping girls, generally aged 2 – 10 years, who are considered the incarnations of the Goddess Durga. The custom demonstrates respect towards all the feminine energies and women's place in a community.
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| Kanya Puja 2024 |
Which day is Kanya Puja
- In this upcoming year, the date of Kanya Pujan Kumari Puja, or Kanjak Puja falls on Durga Ashtami on the 11th of October in the year, 2024.
- It forms a significant aspect of the Navratri rituals practiced widely on the sixth and seventh days of the festival of Durga, which also celebrates the worship of young unmarried girls, who are deemed to be living goddesses incarnated as Durga herself.
- During this puja, there is quite a practice of worshiping girls in this way, often including feeding the girls and giving them presents, in hopes of requesting Mother Durga’s blessings of health and abundance.
Rituals for Kanya Puja
Kanya Puja or Kumari Puja as honored in every tradition comprises a Cube of completing all the rituals in worshipping young girls who are considered to represent Goddess Durga. Here are the main steps involved:
- Inviting the Girls: Generally, the number of girls invited is nine for they represent the nine incarnations of although some devotees may invite just one or any other number they can manage to get. The girls should preferably be aged between 2 and 10 years.
- Washing Feet: As part of the procession, devotees greet their guests by washing the feet of the girls. This act of prostration towards the feet of the suvasini is referred to as Padya Puja and signifies cleansing and preparation for the Diya and the Namaste Prayers.
- Offering Prasad and Gifts Accessories: The girls are then made to sit, after which the devotees serve them along with the meal prasad, which is blessed sacred food. Typical offerings include puris, halwa, chana, and other dessert items. Religious offerings are also given in the form of new attire together with bangles and toys as a gesture of respect and appreciation.
- Applying Tilak and Worship: A tilak is placed on the foreheads of the little girls, who are worshipped with incense, flowers, and prayers and considered to be avatars of the divinity whom they represent. The aarti (a round plate with flickering lights that is moved in circles around devotees) is performed after the prayers in seeking the deity’s blessings.
- The final sagan of the Kanya Puja is the blessing given by the Kanyas to the devotees. There is an understanding that the young girls are worshipped by the devotees to appease the Goddess for fulfillment and prosperity
The event of Kanya Puja is typically performed on the eighth or ninth day of Navratri, depending on the date of the festival in the calendar. It is a widespread practice, especially in Northern India where there is a lot of respect for feminine power and chastity.
Importance:
- Kanya Puja symbolizes innocence and the embodiment of the goddess through little girls. It is asserted that completion of this ceremony ensures that the devotees are bestowed with gifts of wealth, and joy as well as the alleviation of all hindrances in the course of their lives.
Social Setting:
- This practice emphasizes the attitude of reverence towards women and girls, inherent in the Hindu tradition. It also reminds individuals of the creative and sustaining energy that is generated by the feminine aspect.
Frequently Ask Questions
What is Kanya Puja?
Riots against child marriage and female infanticide have forced the modern world to take up its own version of Kanya Puja, also called Kumari Puja or Kanjak Puja, where young prepubescent girls are worshipped as Goddesses for 9 days of Navratri. The feet of the children are washed, pooja is done and prasad is offered along with the presence of other gifts to take their blessings.
When is Kanya Puja in 2024?
In most of the regions, Kanya Puja is performed during DURGA ASHTAMI OR NAVAMI. However, in 2024, it is observed on October 11, Which is also the Ashtami and Navami of Shardiya Navratri.
How many girls are worshipped during Kanya Puja?
It has been a custom to worship nine girls to represent the nine goddesses along with Kanya puja but this is not a hard variant and some families may worship any number of girls based on their means and traditions
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