Navratri - The festival of Joy

Navratri is one such joyous festival in India which celebrates the spirit of youth and the value of traditions through the devotion of young and old alike. As the festival of Navratiri fills the whole of country with gaiety, it also signals the coming of the festive season which carries on into the next year. Navratiri is also considered to be one of the most auspicious time of the year and people start new ventures at this time.

What is 'Navaratri' all about?
Navratri is a festival of worship, dance and music celebrated over a period of nine nights (Nav-nine and Ratri-nights). It is celebrated from the first to ninth date of Ashwin Shukla Paksha of the Hindu Calendar for the worship of the Goddess Durga.

The first nine days of the Ashwin are devoted for worshipping the Divine Mother -'MAA'. These nine days are divided and devoted to the Trinity of God worshipped in a female form - three days for Durga (Goddess of valor) three days for Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and three days for Sarswati (Goddess of Knowledge and Art). On the fifth day (Lalita Panchami), it is traditional, to gather all books, light a lamp and invoke Sarswati . The eighth and ninth day, it is traditional to perform Yagna (sacrifice offered to the fire) to honor Divine Mother and bid her farewell.

Gujaratis perform their traditional dances Garba & Dandiya-Raas during Navratri. The women-folk dance in a circle, singing 'Garbas' or traditional songs. Dandiya-Raas is played with wooden sticks (dandiyas). Apart from Gujrat, Garbas are performed in other states & cities like Mumbai. Beautifully decorated 'mandaps' are set up for playing garba & dandiya by various cultural societies, housing commitees & youth social groups. Young men-women wear colourful traditional dresses and play Garba with great enthusiasm. The mood of Navratri is very colourful & unique. In various parts of India, the Ram-Leela is performed during Navratri. Ram-Leela is a stage presentation of Ramayana, the story of Lord Rama.

The tenth day, also known as Vijaya Dasami (day of Victory over evils), Dusherra is significant to launch new activities or beginning of learning. It signifies the good winning over the evil. It is believed that on this day, Lord Rama had killed the demon Ravana. So, on Dushera, effigies of Ravana are burnt all over India.

Navaratri is a festival of pure happiness and one of the most auspicious occasions in the India.