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HINDU FESTIVAL NAVRATRI
FESTIVAL OF NINE DAYS - OCTOBER
Navratri is a festival of worship,
dance and music celebrated over a period
of nine nights (Nav-nine and Ratri-nights)
in October. It is celebrated from the
first to ninth date of Ashwin Shukla
Paksha of the Hindu Calendar for the
worship of the Goddess Durga. Goddess
Durga is believed to exist in many forms
like Goddess Bhavani, Jagdamba, Mahakali
etc.
The first nine days of the Ashwin are devoted for
worshipping the Divine Mother -'MAA'. These nine days are
divided and devoted to the Trinity of God worshipped in a
female form - three days for Durga (Goddess of valor) three
days for Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and three days for
Sarswati (Goddess of Knowledge and Art). On the fifth day (Lalita
Panchami), it is traditional, to gather all books, light a
lamp and invoke Sarswati . The eighth and ninth day, it is
traditional to perform Yagna (sacrifice offered to the fire)
to honor Divine Mother and bid her farewell. Gujaratis
perform their traditional dances Garba and Dandiya-Raas
during Navratri. The women-folk dance in a circle, singing 'Garbas'
or traditional songs. Dandiya-Raas is played with wooden
sticks (dandiyas). Apart from Gujrat, Garbas are performed
in other states and cities like Mumbai. Beautifully
decorated 'mandaps' are set up for playing garba and dandiya
by various cultural societies, housing committees and youth
social groups. |
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