Why Durga Puja celebrations begin a month after Mahalaya this year 2020

Bengali biggest celebration, Mahalaya marks the end of Pitru Paksha Shraddha and heralds the beginning of Durga Puja for Bengalis. This Pandemic year 2020 Mahalaya Amavasya will be observed on September 17, 2020. In general  celebrations for biggest festival Durga Puja begin seven days after Mahalaya. In the pandemic year 2020 however, the much-awaited festival would be held a month after Mahalaya. So much awaited celebration of Durga Puja will be held this year between October 22 (Shashthi) and October 26 (Vijaya Dashami).

But in general while it is an unusual schedule it is not the first time that Durga Puja will be delayed. The biggest celebration of Durga Puja the last time this happened was in 2001 when Durga Puja was observed 30 days after Mahalaya.