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Kali Puja (west
Bengal)
 Kali Puja is primarily a Bengali festival, held in accordance to the lunar calendar around the first week of November. The Goddess Kali is worshipped at night on one night during this festival.
Kali Puja is light-up night for Kolkata, corresponding to the North Indian festival of
Diwali (pronounced Dipabali in Bengali), where people light candles in memory of the souls of departed ancestors. This is also a night of fireworks, with local youth burning sparklers and crackers throughout the night.
Kolkata had to pass legislature a few years back to ban fireworks which break the 65 decibel sound limit, as ambient noise levels were going up to 90 decibels or more in parts of the city.
The puja actually takes place at midnight on the day of the new moon. During the Kali Puja all houses are lit up with candles decorated around the house. During this puja, children and adults are seen to burst firecrackers and lighting
multicouloured sprinkling crackers. No one seems to sleeps on that night.
Kali Puja coincides with Diwali, the North Indian New Year, the festivals of lights. House-holds clean their houses and light up candles all over their houses. Children and adults set off firecrackers all night. No one sleeps on that night.
Two days after that is Brother's Day, Bhai Phonta or Bhatri
Dvitiya. Elder sisters dip their little fingers into kajol, a mixture of ghee, rice-paste and almond paste, and put a mark on their brothers' forehead.
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