Durga Puja - If you ever happen to be in Siliguri for the Durga Puja festivals, don’t miss it, because you can witness the color and mood of the festival season in its entire splendor cutting across all the communities. Call it the Durga Pujo, Dasai or Dussehra it has all the ingredients that make the rich cultures and traditions of India. Before the Durga Puja that falls between the month of October and November you can see the rush of people flocking the shops for new clothes, items and sweets. During the festival of Durga Puja, beautiful models of craftsmanship can be seen in the pandals adorned with the statues of Goddess Durga, which are again master pieces done by master sculptors. Crowds in large numbers comprising of local people and visitors from nearby towns and regions throng the streets by foot to catch a glimpse of the magnificent pandals, and pay homage to the Goddess Durga. It is family get together all around and everybody returns home during this festive season to be together with their families and friends. There is happiness, fun and excitement all around.
Before the Durga Puja, the Nepali community from the parts of North Bengal takes out a procession showcasing their tradition and culture called the Phulpati; it also signifies the energy of Goddess Durga coming into our lives. They also observe the Durga Puja with full gusto and observe the Dasai, where young ones are blessed by elders while putting tika on their foreheads.

Kali Puja & Diwali – After a few weeks, even before the hectic activities of Durga Puja has worn out, comes Kali Puja or Diwali. The Kali Puja and the Diwali falls almost on the same day, while the Bengali community pay homage to Goddess Kali, other community celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. The Bengali community along with some devotees of other communities celebrates the Kali Puja by offering bhog or sacrifice at midnight on this occasion. This festival is of great importance, especially, to the Bengalis. While for the occasion of Diwali, homes, shops and business establishments are cleaned, painted and decorated with colorful paper, plants and lights to welcome Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth and prosperity. There are sweets, colorful lights and crackers galore everywhere. The Marwaris, who are primarily business communities, are known to celebrate this festival with more enthusiasm. The Diwali is also known as Deepawali which means a festival when deeps – a vessel made of clay with cotton wicks and oil – is lighted to eradicate darkness and bring in the light of health, wealth, peace and prosperity. The Bengali community also celebrates the Bhai phota while the Nepalis celebrate the Bhai tika, both of which signify the same thing. It is a day when brothers are given sweets and adorned with tilaks on their foreheads by their sisters paying tribute to this loving relationship. In return the brothers vow to protect them, and will have to shower them with gifts.
In Diwali - the Nepalese call it tiwar – during the week long festivities, group of young males go to homes and perform the deusi, while young girls do the same and it is called bhhailo; it is similar to the Christmas Carol.

Holi – The youthful vigor and freshness of spring heralds the festival of color, Holi. The festival of holy is truly the essence of fun; of color and of youth. In the Hindu community, it is believed that Lord Krishna was the first one to start the festival of Holi signifying that color is not a tool for segregation but unification. Anyone who wants to have fun can paint or get painted their faces with every shade of color available, and get without being laughed at on this day. Holi in Siliguri is celebrated with more fervor by the Bihari community, even weeks before, by making bonfires and wearing themselves in color. However, it is not restricted to the people of the Hindu community alone, and other communities like Muslims, Sikh and Christians also gets themselves a bit colored in the enthusiasm that follows Holi.
In the festival of Holi people love to get indulge in a peculiar concoction of intoxicating herbs called the Bhang, prepared from a plant which is similar to marijuana.

Chatth Puja – Chatth Puja provides the finishing touch to the festivals of the Hindu in North Bengal. It follows soon after Diwali and is among the major festivals celebrated in Siliguri after Durga Puja and Diwali. Ghats or mud embankments are erected along the banks of the Mahananda River and hundreds of pandals are built to worship Chatth Mata. Worshippers, especially women folks, gather along the river before sunrise and remain in the cold water until the sun rises when they can worship the Goddess. This festival is of enormous importance to the Bihari community, but other communities like the Bengali, Nepali and Marwaris also participate in this festival so that the Goddess may fulfill their wishes. Huge local crowds can be seen on this day along the river banks and on the Mahananda Bridge trying to get a glimpse of the ghats and the colorful people trying to please their Goddess. After the morning festival and celebrations, thekuas – a sweet biscuit made of flour – are prepared by the Biharis and shared with their family, friends and neighbors.