Indian Durga Puja in Finland

Location	Finland, Espoo, Oulu
Tags	Annual celebration, community celebration, tradition, idol, religious, Hindu religion, beliefs, art, Bengali culture, India

Practitioners and people who know the tradition well

Durga puja is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent marking the worship of the Hindu Mother Goddess Durga and her four children. Though this festival is the biggest festival in the state of West Bengal, India, it is celebrated across the world by the Bengali diaspora. As the capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata is the geographical and cultural heart of this festival, the intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural heritage (UNESCO) has inscribed ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the representative list of the Intangible Cultural heritage of Humanity in 2021.

It is celebrated across India during autumn, but in West Bengal it outstrips anything that happens in Bengali life in terms of pomp, glamor and popularity. With the huge diasporic population spread across the world, it is now an enormous international phenomenon having people participating across religions and languages.

In Finland, Durga Puja is the most important celebration of the Bengali community with many other Indians and non-Indians participating in it. It has been organized by the Bengali community since 1999. The official association Bengali Association of Finland ry (BAF ry) was formed and registered in the year 2019 under the Finnish Associations Act. Since then, Durga Puja has been organized by BAF ry where Bengalis from Finland and nearby countries, other Indians and non-Indians come together to celebrate Durga Puja in Finland. In 2023, BAF celebrated the 25th Durga Puja in the Espoo International School venue with pomp, splendor and huge footfall. During an open day when entry is free to the festival, there has been more than 700 participants from different communities and nationalities. The main celebration takes place in the Helsinki Greater region, but recently Oulu has also started its own celebration within the small Indian community.

The Embassy of India has always been a strong supporter of this festival. Alongside, a few Bangladeshi and Nepali communities have organized their own puja in the Helsinki Greater Region. As it is not just a religious festival, but a celebration of Bengali art and culture, it smudges the lines of religiousness and brings everyone together. It is a time to gather with family, friends and community members to celebrate Goddess Durga and Bengali culture.

Practising of the tradition

Durga Puja in India is a 10-day celebration, which has the worship of Goddess Durga along with her four children Goddess Laksmi (Goddess of wealth), God Ganesha (God of prosperity), Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of learning) and God Kartik (God of war and victory) at the core of the festivities. The Hindu lunar calendar is used to determine the dates of the Puja. The dates vary every year but generally fall in September or October of the Gregorian calendar. Offices and schools are closed in India allowing vacation time to enjoy the puja with families.

Being an annual celebration, every year a new idol is made for the ceremony and the process of idol making starts well in advance and kumars (potters) are the artisans. The idol is traditionally made of bamboo, straws, husk and clay and is a work of art and tradition. Mahalaya marks the beginning of the auspicious ten-day festival period and Goddess Durga starts her journey to earth with her children in tow. On this first day of festival, the Goddess is invited to descend to earth and artisans paint the eyes on the idol of Durga. The clothes and jewelry of all the Gods, Goddesses and Mahishasura are then carefully crafted in clay or other materials. On the sixth day, the idol’s face is unveiled, and ceremonial rituals start. The religious tasks are carried out diligently on the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth day. On the last day, i.e., tenth day of festival, the idol is immersed (bhashan) in the holy river Ganga or any nearby river. Before immersion, all the Gods and Goddesses are given a proper farewell and requested to come back again to earth next year. The immersion denotes the return of Gods to their divine cosmos.

Durga Puja is not only a religious festival, but a celebration of cultural elements like theater, dance, music and art competitions. The decorated pavilions exhibit fine craftmanship in various materials. Thus, the festival attracts not only devotees but also admirers of cultural and art forms. It unifies people from different class, religion and ethnicities as crowds of spectators walk around to admire the installations and take part in cultural competitions. The “Pujabarshiki” or the special puja edition of periodicals and magazines play a significant role in the cultural and literary landscape of Bengal. It provides a space for the latest literature trends, writing styles and artworks from renowned as well as upcoming writers and artists. The festive period being a gastronomic extravaganza, not only provides a plethora of traditional Bengali delicacies, but also supports local food vendors and stimulates the food industry.

With the custom of wearing and gifting new clothes to loved ones, this period witnesses the highest boost in sales in apparel and jewelry. Numerous retailers depend on puja sales to boost their annual income significantly.

Lastly, but most importantly this is the time of homecoming for family members. Families reunite and spend quality time creating lifelong memories. In Finland, owing to the working days, the celebration is held from Friday to Sunday, nearest to the actual Puja days. A community space is booked where there is provision for displaying the idol, performing the rituals, space for cultural performances and a kitchen for cooking or distributing prepared food. The first few years of celebration were done using a painting of Goddess Durga. The first community idol was ordered and shipped from Kolkata (India) in 2007 which was made of fiberglass. As it is not possible to immerse the idol every year and fly over a new idol, the idol is stored in a storage space. During the days of celebration, it is brought out and placed on the altar. The first idol has been replaced and donated to the Helinä Rautavaara Museum (Espoo) in the year 2013 which is a permanent exhibit. In addition, there are Video Reality (VR) glasses available in the museum showing the recording of celebration from the year 2017.

The background and history of the tradition

Hindu mythology says that Goddess Durga was created by the three most powerful Gods in the Hindu Pantheon - Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer). According to the sacred text Devi Bhagvatam, there was a great Asura (Demon) called Mahishasura (The Great Demon) who performed a tapasaya (a long penance) to please God Brahma. Impressed by his dedication Lord Brahma blessed him with a boon that neither a man nor a God could kill him. Thus, his death would lie only in the hands of a woman, which in his mind was impossible. Armed with the boon and an army of Asuras (Demons) he looted and killed the humans on earth. After that he even attacked the Gods in heaven and defeated them too. Humiliated, the Gods met with the three most powerful Gods in order to find a way to defeat Mahishasura. The three great Gods put their minds together and using their powers created energy which took the form of Goddess Durga. Each of the gods gave their weapon to the Goddess to help her kill Mahishasura. She was also gifted a lion to mount on.

Initially Mahishasura laughed at the thought of fighting a woman, but as the war raged on, he realized that he was no match for the supreme powers embodied within the Goddess. After a battle of ten days, Durga killed him with a trident, thus freeing heaven and earth of the tyrant. Hence Durga came to be known as Mahishasura mardini (The Killer of Mahishasura). This last scene of killing is replicated in the idols of the Goddess worshipped during Durga Puja. She is further accompanied by her children Goddess Laksmi (Goddess of wealth), God Ganesha (God of prosperity), Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of learning) and God Kartik (God of war and victory).

The first mention of Durga Puja can be found in literature dating back to the 16th century from the records of zamindars (landlords) in the state West Bengal. These ruling households placed the idols in the courtyards of their mansions for common people to come and pray.

Over time, Sarbajanin puja or community worships came up characterized by large scale installations and temporary pavilions in public spaces like apartment colonies, public parks and even on roads during the festive time. The idol is placed inside the pavilion for worship. The rest of the pavilion is heavily decorated and is a place of art, creativity and wonder.

To celebrate the victory of good over evil, the Bengali community in Finland organizes Durga Puja every year. The tradition of celebration started in the year 1999 when a few handful Bengalis decided to celebrate it in Helsinki in a youth community centre. The slowly growing Bengali population continued the celebration over the years in various community centres in Helsinki and Espoo. Indians from other states and non-Indians have been an important part of the celebration since the beginning. In recent years, many museums from the capital region have been interested in participating and documenting the event.

The transmission of the tradition

Durga Puja is not just a religious festival meant for worshipping the Goddess, but it is a cultural bridge celebrating art, music, dance, literature and food. In India it is one of the most important events of the year as it is transmitted in families and communities. Besides it is also part of the work of those thousands of artists, musicians, dancers, crafters, dressmakers, cooks, drum beaters that prepare and take part in organizing the celebration.

For Bengalis in Finland Durja Puja is the highlight of the year in showing the Bengali culture and tradition. For the 3-day festival period from Friday to Sunday, the venue is decked with decorations made by the community members. This is done to keep up with the spirit of puja in India, where the festival has morphed into a kind public art extravaganza. The decoration theme is decided by the community members and can be any traditional art form or any specific topic. This additionally provides a boost and a platform for artists of the community to showcase their talent. Besides the rituals to appease the Goddess, cultural events including traditional performances are an important part of the celebration. Practice sessions for singing, dancing, poetry and drama start well in advance and people of all age groups are encouraged to participate. Practicing one’s own cultural art form not only helps in keeping it alive, but also helps in transmission to the future generations.

Food being an integral part of Indian culture takes the main stage with a variety of food items arranged during the festival days. It is either cooked by the community members in a community kitchen or ordered from restaurants serving Bengali cuisine. Food stalls provided by Indian community members have been a fun way of experiencing and tasting a variety of traditional home cooked food and supporting gastronomic entrepreneurs.

In Finland, the Bengali community has been publishing a magazine named “Srijan” since 2007. The Puja edition is a special edition which has taken the form of an e-magazine available at BAF website. It provides a platform for creative expression ranging from stories, poems, articles in different languages as well as artworks. As a result, it fosters a sense of community among contributors and showcases the culture and talent to the readers from different communities.

As said earlier, Durga Puja blurs the lines of religion, caste, nationalities and brings together people for the love of art and culture. Many non-Indians have always been an integral part of the celebration here and spend the whole day immersed in the fun activities. In recent years and with growing interest in the diaspora communities’ heritage work, the Helinä Rautavaara Museum and other museums in the capital area have been keen to attend and document the event.

Information on the idol donated and exhibited in the Helinä Rautavaara Museum can be found in the open access platform for cultural and scientific treasures called Finna. A glimpse of the celebration can be enjoyed through the video reality glasses too. Photos of the celebration from the year 2023 have been donated to the Espoo City Museum and are now a part of their collection. Moreover, these are also freely accessible from Finna. Two educational video games on the theme of Durga Puja had been developed by the collaborative efforts of Prof. Xenia Zeiler (University of Helsinki) and Kolkata based game development studio Flying Robots Studio in the year 2020. Being open access, the two games ‘The Durga Puja Mystery’ and ‘Durga Puja Beyond Borders’ provide not only the University students an educational and playful introduction to Indian culture, but to anyone interested in the topic of cultural festivals.

In all these efforts, The Indian Embassy has always played an important role. Support has come through the presence of the Honorable Indian Ambassador and other Consular officers during festival time.

The future of the tradition

The essence of Durga Puja lies in the celebration of the Goddess Durga’s triumph over evil, symbolizing the victory of good over bad. Besides being a religious festival, Durga Puja in India, mainly in West Bengal, has transcended its bounds to become a big art show and the larger art world is starting to take notice. The Puja has become an industry now, sustaining thousands of people in India and abroad and generating work throughout the year, such is the scale of preparation and output. This, when combined with the opportunity of showcasing cultural and literary creativity, tasting an array of foods, is truly a celebration that brings joy, prosperity, and togetherness. With a huge creative economy, it is deeply connected with the economic survival of a large fraction of people in the state, which is always a risk in situations of unforeseen emergencies like the pandemic.

The first-generation immigrants from India in Finland, mostly Bengalis, have experienced the festival in India since childhood and want to recreate it to some extent, so that the next generation, born and brought up in Finland stay connected with their roots and learn to take pride in their culture. This is the time when the whole community comes together for the festival preparation, thus increasing bonding and cohesion within the community members. This is a good time for new immigrants to be inducted into the community, providing a home away from home. Additionally with the involvement of the culture and museum sector of Espoo, it aims to showcase and share the culture with the Finnish society. The video games have helped to introduce the festival in a playful and interesting way. Co-operation with Helinä Rautavaara Museum and the permanent exhibit of the previous idol has helped in spreading awareness of this cultural festival.

Collaborative activities have been initiated between the Espoo City Museum and the community members. Durga Puja will continue to be organized perhaps at a much grander scale in future owing to the ever increasing Bengali and Indian community. Perhaps in future, other cities will also have their own Durga Puja organized by the Indian community and might attract the attention of other cultural and educational institutions. In all these endeavors, effort will be made through the Puja event to uphold the Bengali tradition and culture and for transmission to the future generation.