Festivals are an integral part of our culture. They symbolize faith, sacredness and a time for family celebrations. We eagerly wait for them throughout the year. The festive season is frantic because once the celebration kicks off; there is a list that follows Durga pooja; mainly Diwali and Christmas being the prominent ones.
Durga Pooja is one highly celebrated festival across India, especially in Kolkata and West Bengal. The mother goddess – DURGA maa is welcomed and worshipped graciously with prayers and offerings. Huge pandals are set up, homes are decorated, and there is fun-filled energy all around to welcome the goddess in full glory. This excitement gets to us as a huge rush. We buy new clothes, sweets, get a makeover and wait for the arrival of Durga maa. No matter what size of your apartment you live –A 2BHk or 3BHk flat in Kolkata, this is the time of the year when your apartment should also be decorated and live up the vibe that the season beckons? Festivals mean celebration and celebration mean decorations. Every festival carries a different theme, but the spirit remains the same. After all, it is a festive ritual to spruce up our home to feel the prosperity and warmth all around. Decorating the house brings a family together. Everyone gives a hand and helps out with particular things they are good at. This is the true spirit of festivals. Durga Pooja is around the corner, and we have collated some of the best DIY ideas to rev up your house. Mentioned below is a room wise guide to give your home a real festive makeover. These ideas are simple, attractive and very inexpensive. Read on to find out more.
#1 Decorating the Pooja Room.
The pooja room is where your deities reside. It is also where maa Durga will dwell for the pooja. This room is considered to be very sacred, and strict rituals are followed here. Every single thing entering this room should be pure and clean.
Maa Durga rests on a Sinhasan or a throne. Some people buy a new mandir every year or even make it from scratch, while others choose to redecorate the older one with fresh paints and other decorative materials. You can decorate the pooja house with lots of flowers or paper garland (an eco-friendly version); arrange some beautifully hand-painted diyas around the deity. Diyas makes up for an excellent traditional decor idea plus it is also very functional because they lit up the room with crisp golden colour. You can replace fresh flowers every day or if you don’t want a fuss, replace them with paper garlands. They look similar to the real ones, are cheap and serve long hours or days even! Finish off by burning incense sticks that carry pleasant fragrance to lift the spiritual aura.
#2 Living room
This is a space wherein you’ll host most of your guests, so it has to be top-notch. Your living room should carry all the festive flavours. You can decorate the walls with colourful wall hangings, posters, theme-based decorative items that are readily available in the market around this season. You can go all in and buy items fitting your budget or even make your papercraft items. Mini colourful lanterns hung from the ceiling also give a subtle effect. Consider adding pooja themed cushions over your sofa. If that’s not enough, you can even use fairy lights to ramp up the decor. They truly provide a festive vibe and add sparkle to your space.
#3 Bedroom
Upgrade your bedroom by replacing your regular bed sheets and pillowcases with new vibrant ones. Do the same with window curtains. Pick up bright coloured, fresh looking pieces that will liven up your bedroom. Colours like red, orange, yellow, mint green will be the best options to choose from. Light up holiday scented candles for a lovely soft tungsten colour for a relaxing vibe at night.
#4 Entrance
Show off your traditions by making a creative and colourful rangoli at your doorsteps. You can make any design, any depiction through your rangoli. You can even enhance your rangoli with diyas, flower petals and glitter over it. Rangoli colours are readily available in the market and are super cheap. Elevate your door and walkway with fresh garlands made with pretty marigold flowers and mango leaves – just like the old school traditional way. You can also hang heavy wreaths on your door for that extra festive kick. Let the positive vibes get in through your doors. You are sure to fetch compliments from your guests for the creative decor you have put up.
#5 Balcony
Glow up your balcony with a line of earthen diyas and fairy lights. Multi-coloured mini lights never go out of fashion. Get them up in a pretty arrangement for a whimsical experience. You can also hang lanterns on the balcony ceiling.
#6 Go minimalistic
Do not over-do your decor. Try and be as minimalistic as possible. Sometimes, less is more. Too many decorative items will make the room look messy. Keep an ample amount of space to move around. Cleanliness and hygiene is the key to thread things in place.
So, we hope you are excited to give your house a festive makeover from the above ideas. Do make a note to keep your decor as eco-friendly as possible. Follow the motto of ‘Reuse and Recycle’. Make use of natural items. Ensure that proper waste management is also done. Consider celebrating the true essence of the festival by caring about nature. Lastly, do not forget to have fun! Festivals are all about indulging in big eats, family time and spiritual enchantment! So have a big-fat pooja celebration.