Durga Ashtami is a day commemorated as part of the Durga Puja celebrations. Devotees to the Hindu religion often undergo a rigorous fast, feast and worship for Goddess Durga, who symbolises strength. Ashtami is celebrated with great passion, particularly in West Bengal, where the symbol of the ten-armed Goddess riding the lion as well as the many weapons she is holding are highly regarded and worshipped. Mantras are recited in a ritual known as Astra Puja.