NAVRATRI

^{22nd September – 1st} October 2025

Hindu

All around the world Hindu families gather at this time to participate in circle dances associated with the goddess Durga and with Lord Krishna. Navaratri means nine nights, the length of the festival. Hindus from different areas of India, and especially from Gujarat, celebrate it in different ways: in the north the Ram Lila is performed each night, in celebration of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, the demon king of Sri Lanka; many Punjabis worship the goddess daily during Navaratri, and observe a strictly vegetarian diet; on the eighth day, Durga Ashtami, Punjabi Hindus fast before conducting worship of the Goddess that involves honouring young girls as the embodiment of her power.

The significance of Navratri lies in offering devotion to the mother goddess Amba (Durga), who is worshipped in many forms. These are known as ‘shakti’ (power), since the tales tell of the goddesses’ power in the killing of demons. Parvati, the wife of Shiva is also said to have taken the forms of several different goddesses.  In particular, the goddess Durga is worshipped for the first three days of Navratri, followed by the goddess Laxmi for the next three. The last three days are devoted to the goddess Saraswati. The significance of these female deities lies in the variety of methods they portray for deriving solutions to life’s problems, and so Durga triumphs over evil, Saraswati removes ignorance, and Lakshmi brings prosperity.

Navratri in India witnesses myriad forms of devotion across the country, but everywhere the common underlying theme is of the struggle between and the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated all over India and also among the Hindu diaspora with great enthusiasm. A common greeting during this festival is Shubh Navratri (Happy Navratri). Before the festival, skilled artisans prepare clay models of the goddess in her various forms. At the end of the festival these are transported to rivers or the sea where they are immersed.

Many Hindus take part in special ceremonies, rituals, fasts and festivities. People buy new clothes, prepare delicious sweets and organise gifts for family and friends. During Navratri, many Hindus in Gujarat and elsewhere wear colourful costumes and perform a special type of vigorous dance known as garba. Traditionally, garbas are performed around an earthen lamp or an image of the mother goddess. It is a devotional dance form that derives from the folklore of Lord Krishna singing and dancing with the gopis, using ‘dandiya’ or slim wooden sticks. Over the years the Navratri festival has seen many changes, with well-choreographed dance performances, high-end acoustics, innovations in music, and people dressed in made-to-order, bright costumes. Performances of the ‘Ramlila’, in which people enact scenes from the Ramayana are a regular feature.