Why is Navratri festival celebrated in India?
Navratri is one of the most widely celebrated festivals amongst Hindus. It means ‘nine nights’ which is the duration for which it is celebrated. It is supposed to honor the goddess Durga who symbolised power and purity.
The rituals that are performed during Navratri are fasting and avoiding food items like rice, wheat, garlic, onion, non-vegetarian food and pulses for nine days.
It is believed that by maintaining such discipline in food habits, we are avoiding the attraction of negative energy to our body.
Not just goddess Durga, but all of her other nine forms are worshipped too, like goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi etc.
The festival is celebrated with devotional music known as ‘Bhajans’ and in Gujarat, ‘Garba’ is performed which is a Gujarati dance form to mark Navratri celebrations.
There many different reasons for which Navratri is celebrated, and in different forms too. Navratri is celebrated as the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura in east and northeast India. Whereas in northern and western states it is celebrated with ‘Ram Leela’ performances, and with the burning of the demon Ravana signifying the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana.
The last day of Navratri is known as Dussehra in north and Vijay Dashami in east. The whole purpose of celebrating Navratri is to celebrate the victory of good over evil.
Team at World Infi