Information About Navratri Festival

Navratri in its entirety Sharad Navratri; Navratri also spelled Navaratri; Also called Durga Puja, in Hinduism, the big party organized in honor of the divine feminine. Navratri occurs during 9 days during the month of Ashvin or Ashvina (in the Gregorian calendar, usually from September to October). It often ends with the celebration of Dussehra (also called Vijayadashami) on the 10th. In some parts of India, Dussehra is considered a focal point of the festival, which makes it last 10 days instead of 9 days. In addition, as Navratri depends on the lunar calendar, some years it can be celebrated during 8 Dussehra in the ninth. There are four similar holidays, also called Navratri, which take place at different stages of the year; However, the early autumn festival, also called Sharad Navratri, is the most important.



Navratri is celebrated differently in different parts of India. For many people, it is a time of religious reflection and fasting; For others, it's a time to dance and celebrate. Among the customs of fasting, there is a strict vegetarian diet and abstinence from alcohol and certain spices. Dances performed include Garba, especially in Gujarat. Normally, the nine nights of the festival are devoted to different aspects of the divine feminine principle or shakti. Although the pattern varies somewhat from region to region, the first third of the festival is usually devoted to aspects of goddess Durga, the second third to goddess Lakshmi and the last third to goddess Sarasvati. Offerings are often made to goddesses and their various aspects, and rituals are performed in their honor. Kanya Puja is a popular ritual that takes place on the eighth or ninth day. In this ritual, nine girls are dressed as the nine aspects of the goddess celebrated during Navratri and are revered with the ritual washing of feet and offerings such as food and clothing.

Among the followers of the goddess Durga, particularly present in Bengal and Assam, the festival is known or coincides with the Durga Puja ("rite of Durga"). Special images of Durga commemorating his victory over the buffalo-headed demon Mahishasura are venerated daily and on the tenth day (Dussehra) they are transported in jubilant processions to nearby rivers or reservoirs to be immersed in the water. . In addition to family celebrations, puja or ritual, the days are also celebrated with public concerts, recitations, plays and fairs.

In some areas, Dussehra is collected in Navratri and the 10-day celebration is known by this name. Whether during the festival or the tenth day, Dussehra is an opportunity to celebrate the triumphs of good over evil, such as Durga's victory over Mahishasura. In parts of India, Dussehra is associated with the victory of the god Rama over the demon king Ravana. In northern India, Ram Lila ("Rama Game") is the highlight of the festival. The successive nights, different actors of the epic Ramayana are dramatized by young actors disguised and masked; The show is still crowned by the fire of huge effigies of demons. Sports tournaments and hunting expeditions are often organized. Some celebrate by lighting fires and burning effigies of Ravana, sometimes filling them with fireworks. In many areas, Dussehra is considered a good time to start educational or artistic activities, especially for children.

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