Durga Pooja & Women in Sarees

We have hit September and it's already time to celebrate all the major festivals in India! Definitely no festival is complete without the quintessential Indian drape – the Saree. As we immerse Ganpati and get ready for Maa Durga to arrive, let us quickly explore the traditional drapes that women, especially in the Eastern part of the country, wear in the festival spanning ten days.

Mahalaya – The day when Goddess Durga packs her bags and children and starts for her journey to her maternal home on Earth from Mount Kailash, the abode of Gods. This is the start of Devi Paksha and the end of evil in the form of Mahisasur. In the artisan streets of Bengal, this day is marked as the day when the eyes are painted on all the idols. No artisan can draw eyes before Mahalaya. This day is celebrated auspiciously by remembering ancestors as well as through enacting how the Goddess slayed the demon. On such a day, Bengalis swarm to the streets of Kumartali, where almost all Durga idols are made and sent all over the world. Women in traditional colorful Tant sarees with red borders can be found swarming the beautiful alleys. Cotton Gadwal is another favorite for the day.

Sasthi – The sixth day of Durga Puja. After Mahalaya, once the eyes are painted, the faces of the idols remain covered till Sasthi. After the morning offering, the faces can be revealed. It signifies that Devi with her kids are now on Earth for a vacation. The first day of Pujo is celebrated with utmost zest. The younger generation opts for Kora Silk as well as Linen sarees, while the elders bring out their graceful Tussar in muted colors. The pandal hopping starts and one can see scores of people beautifully dressed in all streets of Bengal enjoying the various Pandals.

Saptami – The day we celebrate our Durga Maa’s win against all odds. As per mythology, Mahisasur had smirked when he knew that Durga was being sent to fight him. He thought he could easily win against a woman. But he never knew the woman was the most powerful of all beings. In the course of the battle, he used all his deception tactics but could not hold ground in front of her. Devi Durga created eight different war partners called ‘Ashtanayika’. All of them are worshipped in the form of nine different plants including Paddy, Banana, Jayanti, Colacassia, Pomegranate, Ashoka, Turmeric, Arum Plant, and Bel on Saptami. Women celebrate with one of their finest possessions – Raw silk, Matka Silk and Tissue Silk in bright colors.

Ashtami – Also known as Durgashtami is one of the most important days of Durga Pujo. On Maha Ashtami nine small pots are installed and nine forms of Durga are invoked in them and worshipped. Many households perform the Kumari puja, worshiping young girls who haven’t hit puberty. I remember I used to get several invitations over the day at my neighbors’ houses. The prasadam served to us was made of finest ghee, milk and sooji. Young girls are adorned with beautiful red Tant sarees. The women take out their best for this day – gorgeous Garad, Jamdani, Tussar silk, Benarasi silk as well as Assam silk. The streets in the Eastern part are lit with beautiful smiles and finest Sarees.

Navami – Starts with the auspicious Sandhi pujo. The time window of the last 24 minutes of Ashtami Tithi and the first 24 minutes of Navami Tithi is known as Sandhi Time. It is believed to be the last day of battle between Goddess Durga and the evil demon Mahishasura. It marks the end of Navratri, the nine-day festival devoted to Goddess Durga. In some parts, animal sacrifice is one of the rituals of the day. This is the day when people want to enjoy one last time before it all ends. On this day, women can be seen wearing elegant Chiffon, gorgeous Baluchari and bi-color Silk Gadwal. The shiny stones and Net sarees are worn by the younger generation.

Dashami – time to bid adieu. This day is marked by a sudden gloom. Our mornings start with the realization that the small window of glory is coming to an end. Our daughter, Devi Durga is going back to her husband’s home. With the final puja in the morning, the ten-day gala celebration ends. As typically depicted in several Indian movies, all women wear beautiful white cotton as well as silk sarees with red borders. The red and white combination is auspicious and symbolizes fertility. Married women play smear Sindoor on Devi’s forehead as they bid a tearful goodbye. The streets are filled with processions of hundreds of idols as they are taken for immersion. The atmosphere is gloomy. As the idols are ceremoniously immersed in the Ganges, we wish for her safe journey back with eyes full of tears and hearts filled with anticipation for next year.

How are Sarees connected to Indian Festivals?

While attempting to trace the history of sarees, we came across some of the ancient Indian literature mentioning #sarees. Interestingly, Rig Veda dating back to 3000 B.C. mentions sarees.The 10th chapter of the Rig Veda asserts the feminine to be the supreme principle behind all of the cosmos. Our ancient texts mention, "where women are revered, there the gods rejoice; but where they are not, no sacred rite bears any fruit. It is evident that women were revered as goddesses. Most of the Indian festivals also celebrate the spirit of Devi as that of strength.

Rig Veda mentions a woman needed to wear a saree at the time of Yagya and Havan. Kausalya (Rama’s mother), who was interested to practise religious vows appeared auspiciously by wearing a white silk sari and gladly performed ceremony in a sacred fire (Yagya), by reciting vedic hymns. It would be interesting to examine some of the popular festivals and occasions and the importance the 11-yard drape plays.

Sarees also have a strong connection with the Indian festivals. Historically, Diwali has several origin stories. One tradition links the festival to epic Ramayana, where Diwali is the day Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman reached Ayodhya after a period of 14 years in exile. They had returned triumphant defeating the demon king Ravana's army of evil. Another Diwali origin in Hindu mythology is that it marks the day Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura and freed the people of his kingdom. In Jainism, it is the day Mahavira attained Nirvana. With all of these references, Diwali is celebrated as the triumph of good over evil. It is known as the festival of lights. Such a significant festival has an impact on the traditional wear of Indian women. Diwali is celebrated through 5 days, each day being significant in some way. Women love to wear bright gorgeous saree on the culmination night of Diwali. Each corner of the country is adorned by beautiful women wearing traditional silk gorgeous sarees. These Sarees generally have artistic embroideries along with cut work, sequin work and sequin beaded work that are meticulously fashioned with vibrant colour combinations.

For the festival of Durga Puja, Bengali women wear the finest Sarees from their family cupboards passed down by grandmothers. White and red tant Sarees are most widely seen during this time. The festival coincides with Navratri, Dandiya as well as Garba for different regions. Sarees worn in these festivals are beautifully etched with sequins and beads that accentuate the beauty. Bright colors like red, pink, yellow and blue can be seen widely. Each color has a significance - yellow saree is believed to be auspicious, red symbolizes courage, white is for purity and blue is for tranquility. Traditional Sarees with Madhubani paintings are also preferred to be worn during the Puja.

The regional festivals like Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Onam in Kerala, Nabobarsho in West Bengal, Chhath Puja in Bihar and others are marked by worshipping gods and goddesses in each part of India. For these occasions, Indian women adorn themselves with traditionally weaved silk, cotton and silk cotton sarees that have great ritualistic value. These Sarees generally exhibit the culture of a particular region. The Rajasthani Leheriya sarees are created through a traditional style of tie dye which creates a kaleidoscopic wavy pattern. Bandhani Sarees from Gujarat are classy, beautiful and are a must have for every woman. The Sambalpur district of Odisha is where Sambalpuri Ikat sarees are made. These classic handloom sarees showcase an innovative design developed with an ordinary ikat weave. The Kancheepuram sarees from Tamil Nadu are popularly known as the queen of all saris as it has a noted texture, glimmer, permanence and refinement.

There are several important occasions in a woman’s life that she needs to celebrate. Each celebration requires the perfect Saree to signify the importance. For example, an auspicious saree for the wedding, an elegant, beautiful drape for Godh Bharai (baby shower) and a classic pastel shade of silk or cotton saree for starting up a business or celebrating a promotion.

Every occasion in a woman's life should be celebrated with enthusiasm, tradition and beautiful drapes. Our collection caters to such celebrations. Head over to our “Shop” section and check out the amazing drapes!!! #sareeforwomen #ancienttexts #Urbaneessence #saree #onlineshopforwomen #onlineshopforsaree #onlinesareeshop

And it Evolved over the Years, the Saree!

The quintessential garment, Saree has been around since 2800 BC originating from the Indus Valley Civilization. It is interesting to trace the journey of such an elegant and versatile piece of cloth. Even though the early days are a bit sketchy but the timeline after the advent of British is prominent. The invaders emphasized on classism through expensive material they pushed down to Indians working for them. The ordinary women were left out of it and could be easily recognized as ones from a less fortunate economic background. Around the 1930s-1950s, the popular ‘Nivi’ style of sarees was in vogue mostly by women from Indian royal families and slowly crept into the saree-styling of ordinary Indian women. The drape was characterised as being wound around then tucked in at the waist and letting the loose end go over the back either free flowing or covering the head.

After our Independence, the years between 1950s to 1970s saw the representation of Saree through Bollywood. As the movie industry flourished, superstars like Nutan, Madhubala, Nargis and Mumtaz were experimenting with fabrics, patterns, weaves and drapes on screen. The common women swiftly started following the latest fashion trend from the big screen. With the introduction of color televisions in the 1970s, women started experimenting with bold, flamboyant colourful drapes. The medium of television has always been a major influencer on our fashion choices.

The 1990s were ruled by film-makers like Yash Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt, Sooraj Barjatiya and David Dhawan whose styles of Saree were all very unique. Each of the film-makers experimented with the drape and helped visualize a wide range of styles. Women in India started defining their individual styles influenced by the film stars. The early 2000s was the age of supermodels, Miss Universe and Miss World winners being dressed by the most popular fashion designers. The subtly risqué chiffon saree slowly transformed to the sensual net saree paired with intriguing blouses. The colour palette was also one of the boldest with women embracing deep dark tones as well as eye popping neon.

2010s saw the advent of ready-made pre-draped sarees to save the new age women the trouble of neatly pleating the saree. A very different look of the Saree evolved to keep up with the well-read, well-travelled, woke women. There was an increasing acceptance of different body shapes and sizes in Sarees. Women no longer felt the need to conform to a specific beauty standard. This paved the way for inclusivity as well as body positivity among women and transgenders who identified as women.

Gradually, the Saree became a symbol of identity. Famous personalities donned Sarees in a certain way that carves out their individuality. But most importantly, as a society, we started to accept sarees in all shapes and sizes. It has been noted that Sarees have had a significant influence in our mindset towards gender diversity and inclusion.

Do check out some eye-popping ones in our collection. Next time you hesitate on wearing a Saree, do head over to our website to help make a bold choice! #saree #drapes #sareesforwomen #urbaneessencesaree