Tomorrow morning, the pandals of Kolkata will wear white and red. As Durga Puja reaches its final day, thousands of women in crisp white sarees with red borders will step up to the idols one last time, dab sindoor on the Goddess, and then turn to each other with fistfuls of vermilion. It is Sindoor Khela, the famous “vermillion game” of Vijayadashami, and this year it is being played a little differently.
More unmarried women are joining in. What was once strictly a ritual for married women is quietly becoming a celebration open to anyone who wants to honour Maa Durga, and that shift says something meaningful about how tradition is evolving right in the middle of the festival.
What Sindoor Khela actually is
Sindoor Khela, also spelled Sindur Khela, is the farewell ritual of Durga Puja, held on Vijayadashami, the tenth and final day of the festival.
The ritual begins at the idol. Women apply sindoor, the red vermilion powder, to the forehead and feet of Goddess Durga and offer her sweets, bidding her goodbye before she is taken for visarjan, the immersion procession. Then the ritual turns joyful: the women smear vermilion on each other’s foreheads and faces, exchanging wishes and hugs. It is the last burst of colour before the bittersweet goodbye of “Aashchhe bochor abar hobe”, which means “next year it will happen again”.
Traditionally, the ritual was meant for married women, who believed that playing Sindoor Khela would bring prosperity, long life for their husbands and protection for their children. This year, Vijayadashami falls on Wednesday, October 21, and pandals across West Bengal, Odisha and Assam are gearing up for it.
The shift: devotion beyond marital status
For years, a few pandals in Kolkata have been quietly inviting all women, not just married ones, to take part in the ritual. This Puja, that quiet change has become a talking point. A report published today quotes unmarried women who participated in Sindoor Khela describing it as an expression of devotion, womanhood and sisterhood rather than a marker of marital status.
In the report, one participant, Sristi, explains that for her the ritual is far more than an exchange of vermilion. She describes women celebrating one another and wishing each other strength and happiness, and calls it a moment that belongs to every heart that finds courage in the Goddess.
The argument lands because Durga Puja itself is the story of a daughter coming home. The Goddess is welcomed as a married daughter visiting her father’s house, and the festival ends with the family sending her off. In that light, the idea that only married women can take part in the farewell has started to feel like a rule the festival itself does not quite require.
When and how it happens in 2026
Here is the quick guide for anyone planning to witness or join the ritual this week.
- Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the day of Vijayadashami. The main Puja days this year ran from Maha Shashthi on October 17 to Dashami on October 21, with today, October 20, being Maha Navami.
- How it starts: after the final Dashami puja, women first apply sindoor to the Goddess and offer sweets.
- What follows: sindoor is applied to the feet of elder women, and then everyone smears vermilion on each other amid music, dancing and festive cheer.
- What to wear: the classic dress is a white saree with a red border, though many simply wear festive red and white. If you plan to stand close, wear something you do not mind getting stained, because the air itself turns pink with floating sindoor.
- What happens next: the idols are taken out in grand processions to the ghats for immersion, with the famous dhak drums leading the way.
A bigger conversation about tradition
Every year, rituals like Sindoor Khela raise the same gentle question: does a tradition belong to everyone who loves it, or only to those who fit its original rules? The women stepping into the circle this year are not rejecting the ritual. They are claiming it, red powder and all. And perhaps that is the most fitting farewell for the Goddess worshipped as Shakti itself, power that has no single form and no single rulebook.
FAQs
When is Sindoor Khela in 2026?
Sindoor Khela will be observed on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, which is Vijayadashami, the last day of Durga Puja.
What does Sindoor Khela mean?
The name literally means the “game of vermilion”. It is the farewell ritual in which women apply sindoor to Goddess Durga and then to each other before the idol immersion.
Who can take part in Sindoor Khela?
Traditionally it was for married women. In recent years more pandals have opened it to all women, and unmarried women are joining in as a celebration of devotion and sisterhood.
Why is Sindoor Khela played before visarjan?
It is the final festive moment before the idols are taken for immersion. The ritual is believed to bring prosperity and protection, and it serves as a joyful farewell to the Goddess.
What should first-timers keep in mind?
Wear the traditional white saree with a red border, or any festive red-and-white outfit. Arrive early, carry a small handkerchief, be respectful near the idol, and prepare to leave covered in pink.
Subho Bijoya to everyone celebrating. May the year ahead be kind.
