Sindoor Khela or Sindoor Daan is a traditional festival of Bengalis which is celebrated on the auspicious day of Vijayadashmi where married women offer sindoor to the Goddess Durga in order to be blessed with Sada Suhagan Ashirwad. They put the red color powder or vermillion powder on the feet and forehead of Goddess Durga and then celebrates the significant festival with other married women by smearing sindoor on each other forehead.

Sindoor is the identity of a married woman in Hindu culture and symbolizes the marital status of Mata Durga. Therefore, it is only celebrated by the Bengalis married women. No unmarried girl and widow or divorcee can take part in the grand festival of sindoor Khela. It is considered that no widowhood can ever touch a woman.

Sindoor is offered by married women to Maa Durga to seek the holy blessings of her for the happy married life and good fortune. It is believed that sindoor Khela ritual blesses a woman with the long life of her respective husband. It is a ritual where married women play with sindoor by applying it on the forehead of everyone gathered there and then smear it on the iron bangles (Shankha and Paula) which is also a sign of married women in Bengal.

In this biggest festival of Bengalis, women put sindoor on Maa Durga’s feet and then on her forehead and offer her betel leaves (paan) and put Sandesh or any sweet dish in her mouth along with red color sarees or dupatta (Chunri), known as Devi boron before bidding the final goodbye. Later on, it is followed by aarti and then Visarjan of an idol of goddess Durga in nearby Ganga water.

Historical significance

As stated in legends, on the celebration of Durga Puja, goddess Durga heads back to her parents (lord Giriraj and Mata menoka) house along with Saraswati Ji, Lakshmi Ji, Ganesh Ji and Kartik Ji for only four days. On the Vijaya Dashmi, before returning back to her husband Lord Shiva place, the delicacies of her choice is cooked for her and sindoor is being offered to her for good fortune.