Navratri is a big & important festival for Hindus. It celebrates with great joy and cherishes across India and other parts of the world where Indians live. It is a nine-day festival, and people pray to the Hindu goddess Durga and her avatar. This festival is celebrated twice a year, one in spring and another in autumn. People celebrate both times with the same energy & happiness.
Navratri is made of two Sanskrit words: ‘nava’, which means nine & second is ‘ratri’, which means night. The people celebrate this festival for nine nights and ten days. Everyday people worship a different avatar of the goddess Durga. The festival is celebrated differently across India, but the underlying theme remains the same – the victory of good over evil. People kill their anger, greediness, & evil things. Goddess Durga gives the power to do this.
The holy festival Navratri is based on powerful ancient Hindu mythology. According to our ancestors, the goddess Durga defeated the demon Mahishasura. The devil had been terrorizing the gods and humans. The battle between the goddess Durga & Mahishasura had been gone for nine days. Finally, the goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasura on the tenth day. That’s why the Navratri festival is celebrated for nine nights and ten days.
During the first three days of Navratri, devotees worship the goddess Durga in her form as the destroyer of evil. During the next three days, people worship the goddess Lakshmi. The goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. In the final three days, people worship the goddess Saraswati. The Goddess Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, education, positive thinking, wisdom, and more.
All nine days, people pray and worship the goddess. They get strength, education, wisdom, loyalty, & more good things. Navratri is always loving and peaceful. Every day, people pray and worship another form of the goddess Durga.
During the holy Navratri festival, people clean their homes and decorate them with flowers, rangolis, and mala. The rangoli is created on the floor with colored powders or flowers. Many people observe fasts during Navratri, especially girls and women. They eat certain traditional foods during fasting like sabudana khichdi and kuttu ka atta.
The most famous & enjoyable way to celebrate Navratri is the garba and dandiya raas dance. Men and Women perform in traditional clothes, and mostly garba plays in Gujarat. In the garba dance, people walk circularly around statues or pictures of the goddess Durga. This dance performs on music and traditional instruments like dhol, dholak, and tabla. People enjoy dancy by late at night. They do aarti and worship the goddess Durga. Falugni Pathak is a famous Garba song singer known as the Garba song queen. She performs yearly in Garba, and the Garba dance is incomplete without her songs. People make goddesses wear chunri and distribute prasad.
After the Navratri, people celebrate Dussehra, also known as Vijaydashmi. The Dusherra is celebrated on the 10th day but also on the ninth or last day of the Navratri in some parts of India. On this day, lord Ram killed the demon Ravan and rescued his wife, sita. They had returned to Ayodhya, the hometown of the Lord Ram & Goddess Sita.
Navratri 2024: Worshiped During the Nine Days of the Navratri Festival
First Day - Goddess Shailputri
We worship Goddess Shailputri on the first day of Navratri. We are also known as Sati, the daughter of sage Daksh. Sati’s grandfather was the lord Brahma. Shailputri Temple, Varanasi, is the famous temple of Goddess Shailputri in India.
Second Day - Goddess Brahmacharini
We worship Goddess Brahmacharini on the second day of the Navratri festival. She worshiped for moksha, or emancipation, & peace. People wear green clothes on this day and sometimes orange. The temple of Goddess Brahmacharini is located at Varanasi in India named Brahmacharini Devi Temple.
Third Day - Goddess Chandraghanta
Goddess Chandraghanta is worshiped on the third day of Navratri. She has a third eye on the forehead. She is a sign of bravery and courage. The temple of goddess Chandraghanta is located in Varanasi in India, which is known as Chandraghanta Devi Temple.
Fourth Day: Goddess Kushmanda
Goddess Kushmanda is worshiped on the fourth day to create this world with a smile. People usually wear orange on this day. The holy temple of Goddess Kushmanda is located in Ghatampur town of Uttar Pradesh.
Fifth Day - Goddess Skandamata
Devotees worship Goddess Skandmata on the fifth day of the Navratri. She is the mother of Lord Kartikeya. She rides on a lion and symbolizes bravery. The temple of Skandmata is situated in Varanasi’s Jaitpura region.
Sixth Day - Goddess Katyayani
Devotees worship Goddess Katyayani on the sixth day of the Navratri. Goddess Katyayani is born out of the anger of the gods. She destroyed the demon Mahisasur through her anger. The temple of Goddess Katyayani is located in Karnataka, known as Baneshwar Temple in Aversa, Karnataka.
Seventh Day - Goddess Kalratri
We worship Goddess Kalratri on the seventh day of the Navaratri. She holds a bowl and Katar shastra in her second hand. She is an aggressive form of the Goddess Durga. The famous Goddess Kalratri temple is located in Varanasi. She is known as Goddess Kali. People pray to her to make them powerful.
Eight Day - Goddess Mahagauri
Devotees worship Goddess Mahagauri on the eighth day of the Navratri. She is the wife of Lord Shiva. She holds a trident, lotus, and drum in her hands. She symbolizes peace and calm. People make girls eat kanchak. People give gifts and take blessings from them.
Ninth Day - Goddess Siddhidatri
It is the last day of Navratri, known as Navmi. On this day, devotees pray to Goddess Siddhidatri and take blessings from her. She fulfills the desire for prosperity, success, and happiness to devotees. People go to the temple and worship all nine forms of the Goddess Durga. They offer coconut, & flowers. People make girls eat kanchak. People give gifts and take blessings from them.
