Wherever Bengalis live in the world, they find their own way of worshiping Durga. One such festival arena full of Bengaliana in the land of Pravas is called 'Holland-a-Haichai'. Their journey started in 2017. This puja has completed ten years today. Durga Puja 2026 has been organized there with grandeur like every year.
The celebration will begin with Mahapanchami on October 16 as per Nirghanta Mane. Then this puja of Panchchala idol will be completed on Mahanavami-Vijaya Dashami on October 20. To make the festival more colorful, two special guests are present this year – Bengali band 'Lakshmichhara' is responsible for making the festival evening with songs. On the other hand, stand-up comedian 'Bong Short' will provide laughter. Every evening, the dance-song-drama of the expatriate artists will gather.
Bengali puja means pet puja! So this year there is a novelty in the arrangement of food. Five eras of Bengal have been included in the menu of five days of Puja! For example, Durbari hilsa of the Pal-Sen period, Kasha meat of the Sultanate era, Bagda prawns cooked in the Nawabi style, Khichuri of the British era and the ever-famous fish fry of the cabins of College Street, Kolkata.
It does not end here. The fair will gather around the puja. Needless to say, there will be stalls of food, clothes, jewelry, Shardia numbers and books, an arrangement that is enough to get expatriates chatting.
Celebrating ten years, Hoichai's pavilion is decorated with the theme 'Down the Memory Lane'. The path that visitors will take to visit the idol will be lined with pictures of various memorable moments of pujas over the past decade, giving a glimpse into the long journey of the Haichai family.
In this celebration, technology is not the only thing. Haichai Durga Puja has launched its own app this year, which will be available on both Android and iOS platforms. In addition, chatbots have been added to the WhatsApp group and app, which will make it easier for expatriates to know all the information related to Puja and keep in touch.
Not just worship, this puja is actually an occasion to unite Bengalis scattered across the Netherlands. Here an incredible amalgamation of devotion and culture, food and gossip takes place. A range of lifelong friendships are created. Entry to this puja mandap is free for all irrespective of caste and religion.