Whenever we think of India we think as a land of festivals. Every
festival in India epitomizes the social, cultural and religious
aspirations of the people. Every festival brings with it few days of
happiness and joy in the life of the people. Navratri, or 'The Festival
of Nine Nights', is celebrated during the first nine days of the Hindu
month of Ashvin (September-October). The festival is dedicated to the
worship of Mother Goddess or Shakti and her nine forms. This season is
considered to be an auspicious one as it is generally associated with
the sowing of seeds. People sow seeds on the first day, consecrate the
planets, watch the sprouting and worship Goddess Durga during this
festival. The last three days are especially considered most important.
The nine-day is equally divided in worshiping three goddesses. The first
three days are dedicated to Goddess Durga. The next three days are spent
in worshipping goddess Lakshmi and the last three days are dedicated to
Goddess Saraswati. The day after Navratri the festival of Dussehra is
celebrated.
The festival of Navratri acquires quite a fascinating and colorful
dimension in the region of Gujarat, and in some parts of
Rajasthan
and Maharashtra. The highlights of the festival are the extremely
colorful dances of Garbha and Dandiya-Rasa where men and women of all
sects perform. The Rasa has its origin in the life scenes of Lord
Krishna and is associated with the agricultural rites while Garba is
performed only by men and is related with the fertility cult or the
mother aspect of Navratri. In the south, Dusshera is very popular while
in the east, the seventh to the tenth days of Durga Puja are celebrated
with much vigor and enthusiasm. Besides the Garba Dance of Gujarat, the
most popular events on the auspicious occasions of Navratri are Ramlila
of Varanasi, Dussehra
of Mysore and Durga Puja of Bengal. All these celebrations have a
special significance according to their region. The rituals are based
according to the culture and traditions of that particular region.
