Around 40 Bengali families in Utrecht, around 45km south of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, are bringing goddess Durga for the first time in the scenic town.

Though the Netherlands is a small country on the North Sea coast of the western end of the European continent, 12 Durga Pujas are held here. But for Utrecht town, this will be the first Durga Puja.

"The idea for Durga Puja here sparked during a casual meet-up at a pub. We thought of starting Durga Puja to enjoy Bengal's traditional festive season. For the Puja, we named our group Aalap,” said Parichay Bose, a member of the Aalap Utrecht Durga Puja Committee.

He said that earlier they had organised community events like Bijoyar adda or a Vijaya Dashami meet-up, Boishakhi adda or a Bengali New Year meet-up and Saraswati Puja. "Those were successes, spurring us on for a big event like Durga Puja," he said.

In the Netherlands, Bose said, the weather turns wintry from October onwards.

“The cold is accompanied by gusty winds and sudden rains. In such weather conditions, and coping with school-college life or office work, it is quite difficult for us Utrecht Bengalis to visit any of the Pujas held in the country. Hence, we decided to organise Durga Puja here,” he added.

The Puja will be held according to the Bengali calendar. The idols have already reached the Netherlands after a long sea journey from Kumartuli in Calcutta.

“The Durga idol is 6.5 feet high. We have also brought a dhaak, 108 earthen lamps, dhunichi and other essentials for worship from Calcutta. The venue of the Puja is a sports hall in Utrecht,” said Sourav Dey, the general secretary of Aalap Utrecht.

He shared their unique experiences as first-time Puja organisers.

“Halls are available here on rent for social functions but there are curbs on fire. As we will light earthen oil lamps and perform rituals like yajna, we had to get special permission from civic authorities,” said Dey, adding the idol was delivered after Customs clearance.

“We spent around 6,000 Euros to get the idol here," he said.

They also got a special permit for garbage disposal from the municipality, he said.

Aalap member Aritro Acharya will officiate as the priest. “We are excited. We want to perform every ritual, including Kumari Puja and yajna,” he said.

From October 20 to 24, the festive days, Bengali dishes would be served, said Siddhartha Mukherjee, Puja committee president. "It will be a real homecoming," he said.