Navratri, which literally means ‘9 nights’, is an eagerly awaited Indian festival. It is an occasion for both religious and cultural celebrations.
All About Navratri
Navratri pays homage to Goddess Shakti, the Divine Mother, and her 9 avatars. Different states in India celebrate Navratri in different ways. Many see it as a time for contemplation of the divine and fasting. But for others, it is a time for feasting, singing, and dancing.
As part of the fast, people adopt a vegetarian diet and avoid alcohol, tobacco, and certain spices. In Gujarat, devotees perform Garba dances. The 9 nights are dedicated to 9 different aspects of Shakti or the divine feminine.
People make various offerings to the goddesses and their various aspects and perform certain rituals in their honor. One unique ritual is Kanya Pooja, which occurs on the eighth or ninth day. In this ritual, nine young girls who represent the Goddess are worshipped. Devotees wash their feet and offer them food and clothing.
In West Bengal, the festival is known as Durga Pooja/ Pujo. In North India, the emphasis is more on Ram Navami, which falls on the 10th day of Navratri. Ram Navami celebrates the birthday of Lord Rama. In Tamil Nadu, people celebrate Golu Pandigai, while in Kerala, Saraswati Pooja and Vijaya Dashami are the highlights of the festival.
Navaratri is celebrated in memory of Goddess Durga’s slaying of the demon, Mahishasura. The battle raged for 9 days. Mahishasura represents all the negativity and ego within us that prevent us from realizing God. Only when these are destroyed can we know the divine.
Hence, for many people, this is also a time for reflection and introspection.
Durga, Bhadrakali, Amba, Annapoorna Devi, Sarvamangala, Bhairavi, Chandika, Lalita, Bhavani, and Mookambika are the forms of the Goddess that are worshipped during Navratri.
Navaratri Folktale
A folktale in East India says that King Daksha’s daughter, Parvati, who is the consort of Lord Shiva, visits her parental home on earth every year during the Navratri festival. Supposedly, her four children – Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik, and Ganesha – as well as her best friends, Jaya and Bijaya, accompany her. Hence, in many regions of India, Navratri is also a time of homecoming for married women.
Navratri Fast
The Navratri fast is believed to make the devotees mentally strong. Fasting strengthens your system by detoxifying it. Some holy men believe that during this time, they should express thanksgiving to God, as divine powers bestow energy on Earth to help it revolve around the Sun easily and keep climatic changes in control, thereby balancing the universe.
Folk Dances of Navratri
In Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, Navratri is also an occasion for great revelry. Navratri nights here include religious rituals and cultural events like dance and music.
Popular folk dances like Garba, Raas, and Dandiya are part of the revelry. Gaily-dressed men and women take part in these dances, which go on all through the night.
Garba – the Cultural Dance Form
Garba, the folk dance form of Gujarat, is the dance form that is closely associated with Navratri. Garba is rich in symbolism related to the Divine Feminine and also life’s cyclical nature. The word ‘Garba’ comes from the Gujarati word, ‘Garbo’. The Sanskrit word ‘Garbh’ means ‘womb’. Garba is a folk dance that honors and celebrates the feminine form of divinity.
A Garbha Deep (womb lamp), which is a clay lantern with a light inside it, is placed in the center of the open ground where the festivities take place, along with an idol of the Goddess. Men and women dance in circles around the lamp.
The Garbha Deep has another meaning. The lantern is a symbol of the body, within which divinity (the Goddess) resides. Garba dance suggests that within all humans, the divine energy of Devi is present. Today, images of Durga are often placed at the center of the circle instead of the Garbha Deep.
The circle evokes the Hindu notion of time as a cyclical process. As the cycle of time moves from birth to life to death to rebirth, the Goddess alone remains constant, an unmoving symbol amidst the continuous and infinite movement. The dance symbolizes that only God remains the same in an ever-changing universe.
Garba, being a religious practice, is done barefoot. By going barefoot, we show respect for the earth, which is the sacred mother of all. The earth has generative powers, and the foot is the conduit through which the earth’s energy passes through humans. Therefore, by dancing barefoot, we can connect with the Goddess.
A Community Celebration
On all 9 nights of Navratri, community feasts and dances take place. Once the evening Pooja is over, people come together in the open areas and dance to the energetic beats of Garba/ Dandiya music. In many cities, Navratri events are organized, and large numbers of people take part in them.
