OH 6 : NAVRATRI CELEBRATIONS in OH

Navratri celebration  OH started with a bang with participation of sizable number of residents in pooja aarti of "MATAJI". The whole garden was well decorated and shining with lights. After the aarti and prasaad was done, it was time for garba. Enthusiasts had great time dancing to the folk songs' beats.  

Ab thoda sa gyan! 

Navratri, Navaratri or Navarathri (Sanskrit: नवरात्रम्; Marathi: नवरात्र; Gujarati: નવરાત્રી; Hindi: नवरात्रि)  is a Hindu festival of worship of Shakti and dance & festivities. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti or Devi are worshiped. The 10th day is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami  or Dussehra.

Each day of the nine-day festival are dedicated to the worship of different forms of Goddess Durga, which unfolds the religious importance of the occasion. 

Navaratri is celebrated four times a year: 

1.Vasanta Navaratri, 

2. Ashadha Navaratri, 

3. Sharada Navaratri, 

4. Paush/Magha Navaratri. 

Of these, the Sharada Navaratri of the month of Puratashi (Sept - Oct) and the Vasanta Navaratri of the Vasanta kala  ( March - April) are very important.

This is the time for sharada navratri.  It is also called Maha Navratri (the Great Navratri) and is celebrated in the month of Ashvina. It is celebrated at the beginning of winter .

Navaratri this year starts from October 13 and ends on October 21 with Vijayadashami  on October 22. 

Navaratri is celebrated in different ways throughout India.

In North India, all  Navratris are celebrated with much fervour by fasting on all nine days and worshipping the Mother Goddess in her different forms. The Chaitra Navratri culminates in Ram Navami and the Sharad Navratri ends in Durga Puja and Dussehra. 

The Dussehra of Kulu in Himachal Pradesh is particularly famous in the North. 

Navratri festival  is one of the main festivals of Gujarat. Garba is done after the Durga Pooja with the groups and live orchestra or devotional songs. Since the past few years, the Government Of Gujarat has been organising the "Navratri Festival Celebrations" on a regular basis for the nine days of Navratri Festival in Gujarat. People from all over Gujarat and even abroad come to participate in the nine days celebrations. It is also popular throughout India and among Indian communities around the world including the UK and USA.

The last four days of Sharad Navratri take on a particularly dramatic form in the state of West Bengal in East India where it is celebrated as Durga Puja. This is the biggest festival of the year in this state. Exquisitely crafted and decorated life-size clay idols of the Goddess Durga depicting her slaying the demon Mahishasura are set up in temples and other places. These idols are then worshipped for five days and immersed in the river on the fifth day.

In Goa, zatra begins during Navratri, entire Antruz (Ponda) is highly ornated. The Saraswat Brahmin temples are beautifully decorated and the idols are taken out for worship. The idols are dressed and adorned with flowers, sandalwood paste, turmeric and kumkum.  The Dasha Maitrikas (the 10 sisters of Goa) of the Saraswat Brahmins are taken out to worship - namely, Shantadurga, Aryadurga, Mahalasa, Katyayani, Mahamaya, Kamakshi, Vijayadurga, Bhumika, Mahalakshmi and Navadurga.

In South India, people set up steps and place idols on them. This is known as golu.

In Kerala, three days: Ashtami, Navami, and Vijaya Dashami of Sharad Navaratri are celebrated as Sarasvati Puja in which books are worshipped.  On Vijaya Dashami day, the books are ceremoniously taken out for reading and writing after worshipping Sarasvati. Vijaya Dashami day is considered auspicious for initiating the children into writing and reading, which is called  Vidyarambham. Tens of thousands of children are initiated into the world of letters on this day in Kerala. 

First three days

The first three days of Navratri are devoted to the worship of the Goddess Durga. This is the period, when her energy and power are worshipped. Each day is dedicated to a different appearance of Durga.

First day: Kumari, which signifies the girl child. 

Second day: Goddess Parvati, who is the embodiment of a young woman.

Third Day:   Goddess Kali is worshipped, who represents the woman who has reached the stage of maturity. The destructive aspects of Goddess Durga symbolise the commitment to acquire triumph over all the evil tendencies.