Married women perform the very famous Hindu ritual “Neel Shasthi.” “Neel Shasthi” and “Charak Puja” are two Hindu rituals that occur just before the Bengali New Year begins.
‘NeelShasthi’ is the day in the Bengali month of Chaitra when Bengalis celebrate the marriage of Lord Shiva with Devi Parvati by offering puja to the Lord. Married women perform this puja to seek the Lord’s blessings for their husbands and children. Certain beliefs derive the word “Neel” from “Neelkantha,” which indicates Lord Shiva, a person with a blue-colored throat.
As per Ramapada Acharjee, on the hot day of Chaitra the women fast through out the day & finally in the evening they visit the nearby temple of the Lord Shiva & pour milk over the ‘ Shiva lingam‘ & offer bel leaves & flowers. People light incense sticks and the ‘pradeep’ or holy lamp, and offer fruits and sweets. Then, they return home and break their fast by eating the ‘prasad’ (the fruits offered to and later blessed by the god).
