The Many Names Of Navratri
India, a land of diversities, celebrates Navratri too in many ways. Called by myriad names, each celebration is a colossal success, writes Sagarika Shukla
India is, indeed, a land of diversities! Navratri, for one, is celebrated by different communities in tailor-made ways too…and known by different names too! Whether the festival is called Durga Puja, Navratri Puja, Kullu Dussehra, Mysore Dasara, Bommai Kolu, Ayudha Puja, Vidyaramba, Saraswati Puja or Simollanghan, it’s celebration time for Hindus all across the country!
Here’s a quick dekko on what the festival means and how the occasion’s celebrated by homeowners from different states back in their own homes.
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| The Devi watches over a public Dandiya Raas event held at Ahmedabad in Gujarat (File pic) |
Offering a flower garland on each of the nine days of Navratri
The most important ritual associated with this festival is offering a flower garland – on each of the nine days of Navratri - to the idol or image of goddess Durga. Finally, at the end of nine days, the garlands are removed together.
That apart, Navratri is a favourite among young girls who have not attained puberty: Besides being offered the goodies of their choice, on this occasion, the girls are encouraged to play games, dance, sing…basically have a blast!
In most Maharashtrian households, a rangoli depicting an elephant’s form is a common sight.
Durga welcomed like daughter visiting her parents’ home
Here Durga Puja means five days of festivity! Though it is celebrated throughout the state of West Bengal, the grandeur is the greatest in Kolkata. Images of Durga are worshipped in individual houses and at pandals, erected specially for the Puja.
The beautiful idol of Durga is welcomed as if she’s a daughter who has come to visit her parents’ home. And, after the ceremony, the artefacts are immersed in the river amidst the procession including devotees, drummers and conch blowers.
Beautifully-decorated pandals are set up all across the state displaying scenes from mythology. West Bengal is gripped with a cultural fever…what with every nook and corner hosting contests of song and dance providing loads of entertainment in all localities!
Observing an ‘only-fruits’ fast throughout the entire period
For Punjabis, Navratri is almost synonymous with fasting. While most Punjabis observe a fast and have only fruits till the eighth day or Ashtami, others only have milk for seven days and then, break the fast on Ashtami.
And then, there’re some who have a complete meal, but just once a day. Incidentally, even those who don’t fast, stop eating non-vegetarian food and specific food items like onion and garlic during this period.
On Ashtami, there’s a popular custom of feeding nine young girls, called Kanjaks, believed to be symbolic of the nine forms of goddess Durga. The fast is broken only after this. Another common feature is the Jagrans - devotional songs are sung all night in praise of the goddess.
The tenth day is the day of celebrations. Everyone sports new clothes, as it’s believed that on wearing new clothes on this auspicious day, one’ll get ten sets of new clothes in return! And then, it is also the day to worship one’s tools of work - pens, pencils, books and any instrument that’s one’s means of earning a living.
Presenting an occasion to dance away all night in best finery
For the Gujaratis, Navratri is the occasion to dance all night adorned in their best finery!
Dressed in their traditional outfits – men in kediyu and women in chaniya-cholis or gaghra with colourful dupattas – Gujaratis perform their favourite dandiya raas and garba late throughout the nights of these nine days.
The folk-dance epitomises happiness and clapping during garba is the form of expressing gratitude to goddess Durga, for having saved the entire world from the atrocities of the demon Mahisasur. During these nine days, in most households and temples, the images of Amba mataji are worshiped throughout the day.
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| The musical revelry associated with Navratri and the utsav pervades across India (File pic) |
Displaying a variety of dolls of Gods and Goddesses artistically
Navratri Bommai Kollu commences on Amavasya in the month of Bhadrapada, the last day of Pitripaksha.
Incidentally, in Tamil, Bommai means dolls and Kollu means displaying. So, during this festival a variety of dolls - all Gods and Goddesses from popular epics and Puranas - are displayed artistically and arranged beautifully by married girls.
During these nine days, ladies are invited and offered haldi kumku with betel leaves and fruits. Ladies in Tamil Nadu, especially look forward to this festival as it gives them an excuse to dress up in their choicest of garments and display their precious and beautiful ornaments.
On the ninth day falls the Saraswati Puja, wherein the Goddess of Learning is worshipped. On this day, books, musical instruments etc., are decorated with flowers and worshipped.
And then, Vijay Dasami, the tenth day is the auspicious occasion when any new venture in education is begun.
Another interesting aspect of the celebration is the concept of Valluku Anaya - Valluku means lamp and Anaya means not going out. During these ten days, most households keep the lamp lit continuously throughout the day. Finally, on the tenth night after the arti, the lamp is extinguished.
Worshipping all books at home on Navami - day of Saraswati
Considering Kerala is the state with the highest literacy rate in the country, it’s hardly surprising that here Durga Puja is synonymous with formal education for children in the age group of three to five years.
During this period, the children are taken to the temple, where the head priest tells them to stick out their tongues, on which he writes Shri, using a gold ring. After that, the parents hold the finger of their child and help him/her write Harishri Ganapati Namaye on a plate full of rice. This is believed to be the start of the child’s education.
During Ashtami, the day of Ayudya Puja, all the tools at home are worshiped. And, it’s considered inauspicious to use any of the tools on this day. The next day, that is Navami, is the day of goddess Saraswati, when all books at home are worshipped.
Here, five animals are sacrificed instead of Ravana and brothers
In Himachal Pradesh, at Kullu, Dussehra celebrations are a wee different. For starters, they begin three days after they do in the rest of the country. The story dates back to the tenure of Maharaj Ranjit Singh’s rule in Punjab when he wanted all the kings to be present at his court during the Dussehra celebrations.
As legend goes, after the celebrations were over at Lahore, the rulers were expected to return to their respective kingdoms to celebrate Dussehra. However, they couldn’t reach back on time…and were three days late! Since then, in Kullu, Dussehra is celebrated three days later than in the other parts.
That apart, in Kullu it isn’t the effigies of Ravana and his brothers Kumbhakarna and Meganatha that are burnt to symbolise the victory of good over evil. Instead, five animals - a rooster, a fish, a lamb, a crab and a buffalo - are sacrificed atop a wooden pyre.
Click here to download PDF of the Navratri 2022 Special 'Devi Dhamaka'
