Navaratri – the festival of nine nights and ten days

Navratri is mainly a hindu festival which takes place usually in the beginning of October. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit. Navratri is also known as Durga Puja. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti devi will be worshipped.

The Navaratri festival or Nine Nights festival becomes ten days festival with the addition of the last day, Vijayadashami.

It is exciting to note that the household who organizes the golu arrangement and prayers try to maintain their regional ethnicity. Golu tradition is followed primarily in Tamil Nadu in India. While the grown-ups enjoy recollecting their memories of Golu in Tamil Nadu, youth have a chance to take part and learn about Navarathri . This is my mam�s house golu, looks nice na!!!

The total nine nights is splitted into three days for durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi.

First three days

Durga meaning Power, the goddess is separated as a spiritual force, matha durga is also known as Kali, as she destroys all the sin we do. I personally suggest you join with your parents in worshipping “Ma Durga” at least during this Navaratri time. She will give auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge, and other potent powers for you to cross every hurdle of life.

Second three days

Lakshmi is portrayed as a beautiful woman of golden complexion, with four hands, sitting or standing on a full-bloomed lotus and holding a lotus bud, which stands for beauty, purity and fertility. Her four hands represents the four ends of human life:

• dharma, the right things we do
• kama – desires
• artha – the wealth
• moksha – the liberation from the cycle of birth and death

. The Mother is believed to secure her devotees from all kinds of misery and money-related sorrows. She is treated as a giver of spiritual wealth.

Final three days

The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. Her four hands represents the four aspects of human personality in learning; mind, intelligence, alertness and ego.

Eighth day is traditionally Durgashtami which is celebrated in Bengal.

Saraswati puja will be performed on the 9th day in some parts of South India. Ayudha Puja is conducted in many parts of South India on the Mahanavami (Ninth) day. Weapons, agricultural implements, all kinds of tools, equipments, machinery and automobiles are decorated and worshipped on this day along with the worship of Goddess.

The 10th day is celebrated as ‘Vijaya Dashami’. Many Schools in south India used to start teaching Kindergarten children from that day onwards. Schools that are closed for Navarathri will be re-opened on this day.

In North India, as the ending ceremony of Ramlila which is conducted during Dussehra, the dummy figuring of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghanada are burnt to celebrate the victory of good (Rama) over evil forces on the ‘Vijaya Dashami’ day.

Let us pray well, everyone in this world worships power, Durga, because there is no one who does not love and long for power in some form or the other.

We hope that this year Navaratri will gives all of us good knowledge, will power and good wealth.