Navratri: Nine Nights of Cultural Unity and Spiritual Reflection

With the dispersal of clouds and the blowing autumn breeze, the country of India comes alive with the excitement of Navratri. Red and yellow clothes can be seen in the markets, potters make their idols of clay and people get ready with the songs and dance moves they know since childhood. It is Navratri, the nine day festival of India which signifies the triumph of the divine feminine, courage and goodness over evil.

Navratri means nine nights where nav means nine and ratri means nights. Nine days of Navratri is a complete world of legends, beliefs, food, music and celebrations, different from one another in each region of India.

Why the Celebration

Navratri is a festival which celebrates the victory of goddess Durga over demon Mahishasura who was blessed with immortality and started causing trouble among the gods and humans. Unable to stop him, all gods joined their powers together to create goddess Durga who fought for nine days and nights to kill the demon.

However, there are actually several Navratris in a year, Chaitra Navratri and Sharad Navratri are the two largest among them. The latter one is a major one, which is what people think of when they mean just “Navratri”.

Nine Forms of the Goddess

Every day is dedicated to one form of Durga, who are united in names of Navadurga. The devotees consider these nine days as spiritual pilgrimage from strength to wisdom to enlightenment.

Shailaputri

Shailaputri is a mountain daughter, symbolizing power and the very foundation of all spiritual practice.

Brahmacharini

Brahmacharini symbolizes ascetics and dedication, which is a silent work done before something is achieved.

Chandraghanta

Chandraghanta is a goddess with a crescent moon on her forehead and inspires courage in her followers, protecting them from any fear.

Kushmanda

Kushmanda is an aspect of Durga seen creating the world with a small smile and stands for well-being and fertility.

Skandamata

Skandamata is a mother of Kartikeya and is an aspect of motherly strength of nurturing.

Katyayani

Katyayani is a warrior goddess, worshipped by young ladies for strength and right direction in life.

Kalaratri

Kalaratri is the most terrible aspect of Durga, being dark and fearless destroyer of ignorance and fear.

Mahagauri

Mahagauri is radiant and serene, representing purity, peace, and forgiveness.

Siddhidatri

Siddhidatri bestows knowledge and spiritual attainment, ending the quest.

Many families observe a particular color every day; this has now become a beautiful sight in office cubicles, schools, and social media feeds every year.

One Festival, Many Faces

What makes Navratri truly unique is the diversity of the celebration across India.

Garba and Dandiya in Gujarat and Rajasthan

In Gujarat and Rajasthan, Garba and Dandiya Raas are celebrated. In Garba, the performers circle around a lighted lamp or a deity in a symbolic representation of life’s cycles, time and creation. The latter involves the use of wooden sticks while dancing to a rhythm in tandem with other dancers. Cities such as Ahmedabad and Vadodara hold some of the biggest dance parties in the world where people dance until dawn wearing embroidered Chaniya cholis and Kedias.

Durga Puja in West Bengal

Durga Puja in West Bengal has unparalleled artistic talent. Giant pandals, sometimes on a theme, house awe-inspiring statues, and the entire city becomes an open art gallery. Goddess Durga is worshipped as the daughter who has returned to visit her maternal home, and the farewell on Dashami through emotional participation processions and the sindoor khela is truly

Fasting, Foods, and Body Clock

For many followers, Navratri is also the period of fasting and mindful eating. Fasting is both a religious and physical practice. With changing seasons, our body becomes more susceptible, and the lighter food helps the digestive system to recuperate.

Food usually consumed during fasting includes kuttu flour, singhara flour, sabudana, samak rice, potatoes, fruits, nuts and milk products. Instead of common salt, rock salt or sendha namak is used. Some typical food like sabudana khichdi, kuttu puri, aloo jeera and makhana kheer become part of festive cuisine, which are enjoyed even by non-fasting people.

Most people stay away from onion, garlic, meat and alcohol during these nine days. It could be either a rigorous practice or a mild detoxification process; however, the motive remains the same: simplicity leads to introspection.

Home Rituals

The celebration of Navratri starts with Ghatasthapana or installation of a Kalash filled with water and decorated with a coconut and mango leaves, which indicates the presence of goddess. Also, barley or wheat seeds can be sown in soil nearby the Kalash, and the saplings growing in nine days symbolize prosperity.

Why Navratri Remains Relevant

A quick moving world is bound to question the relevance of such festivals after so many centuries. In my opinion, the reasons for that lie in what it demands from us.

It Honors Women and Strength

It honors women and strength. The festival worships strength in its feminine aspect; it isn’t about being beautiful; it is about the strength to create, protect, and destroy evil. Such a message can definitely extend beyond the nine days.

It Brings Communities Together

It brings communities together. Be it Garba dancing with complete strangers, celebrating Golu with your neighbors, or even prasad distribution at a pandal, Navratri makes people get out of their shells.

It Encourages Mindfulness

It encourages mindfulness. The fasting, early morning prayers and daily practices bring a rhythm of sorts into one’s life. Even non-religious people benefit from such a practice.

It Preserves Craftsmanship and Livelihoods

It preserves craftsmanship and livelihoods. Idols makers, weavers, florists, musicians, sweet makers and decorators depend on these festivals. Every single festival represents an economy of artisans and their traditions.

Thoughtful Celebration

While we celebrate, it is essential to consider the ecological impact of our celebrations. It is more sustainable to have eco-friendly clay idols instead of plaster of Paris ones along with toxic paints. Low volume sound systems ensure that we do not disturb our neighbors, children and old people around us. Less amount of waste production and eco-friendly decorations are small steps that help us pay our reverence to the goddess, who is essentially the embodiment of earth in many traditions.

Invitation from Nine Nights

The nine days of Navratri are not confined to some mythical stories of ancient times. Instead, each day is an invitation to introspection; we can discover within ourselves courage when we lack it, self-control when we lack it, and mercy for others when we have become harsh to others. The nine nights of Navratri allow us to defeat the demon from within which is essentially our ego, wrath, greed and fear.

May your celebration of the festival be full of happiness.

Shubh Navratri!

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