NAVRATRI CELEBRATION

What comes to our mind when we think of NAVRATRI ? Goddess Durga. These are the days of Maa Durga which is the symbol of power. There is something about Navratra that we feel the aura, the power and divineness within us.

• It is not just a pious and sacred occasion; it gives us a feel of festivity. There are so many colors, so many traditions which make this festival a mixture of varied cultures. When we talk about Navratri, thoughts like nine sacred days devoted to prayer of the Hindu goddess of power & fasting comes to our mind.

• These nine days bring lots of color to life which makes Navratri a unique and fun festival. Here are things which make Navratri, nine days of fun celebration-The nine-day festival dedicated to Goddess Durga, or Navratri is all set to commence soon. Shardiya Navratri, which sees devotees praying to different forms of Goddess Durga is a special and auspicious festival, which holds special significance for Hindus across the globe.

• While Navratri falls four times a year, the Shardiya Navratri celebrated during Autumn is one of the most awaited ones and a celebration that occupies utmost importance. This year, Shardiya Navrati will commence on October 07, 2021 (Thursday), and end on October 15, 2021 (Friday), with the celebration of Vijayadashami. Shardiya Navratri falls in the auspicious Hindu month of Ashwin.The nine-day long festival celebrated and ushered in different forms is commemorated with a lot of happiness and signifies how Goddess Durga triumphed over the demon king Mahishasur to end evil and honour the victory of good over evil.

• While it is believed that Goddess Durga arrives on the first day of Navratri, she is said to leave the Earth and return to heaven on Vijayadashmi.

• Navratri, meaning 'nine nights', is one of the most popular and widely celebrated Hindu festivals in many parts of India. Gujarat, however, is the only state that erupts into a nine-night dance festival, perhaps the longest in the world. Each night, all over the state, villages and cities alike, people gather in open spaces to celebrate feminine divinity, referred to as Shakti.

• The dance form known as ras garba (also joined sometimes by dandiya, which uses small wooden sticks), comes from Lord Krishna's worship rather than Goddess worship, from the Gop culture of Saurashtra and Kutch. Stories of relationships between Krishna and the Gopis, and their emotions, also often make their way into the ras garba music.

• Nevertheless, the focal point of every garba circle is the small Goddess shrine erected by each community to it mark the beginning of the festival, on the first day of the Hindu month of Ashwin. The shrine includes a garbo, an earthenware pot, in which a betel nut, coconut, and silver coin are placed.

• Each night the village or urban neighborhood gathers to perform a puja to one of the nine forms of Goddess. The nine nights are also broken up into sections of three; the first is for Durga, the goddess who destroyed an evil force represented by the demon Mahishasura, and who destroys human impurities; the second is for Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity; the third is for Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and art. It is a time to celebrate fertility and the monsoon harvest, represented by a mound of fresh soil in which grains are sown.

• After the puja begins the music; it is unmistakable to those who are familiar with the style and irresistible to many. People begin to dance in a circle, whirling away till late into the night. It is not uncommon to find dancers with swords or lit flames and other spectacles.

• The traditional dance steps are simple, though over the years people have been inventing more complex steps. Similarly, the music was traditionally acoustic, principally composed of drums and singing, but most people now use amplified sound systems or a blend in the form of a live band with modern instruments. Vadodara is a good place to find the full range of these styles, traditional to modern, acoustic to amplified, simple to complicated, each one represented in its extreme somewhere in the city.

• The tenth day, Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami in South India, is celebrated by doing a puja to bless one's vehicle, and is also the day to buy new vehicles, if necessary. It 's also celebrated, probably after getting up far later than usual, by unabashedly eating lots of fafda, a salty fried crunchy snack and jalebi, a sweet fried sticky snack.

• Pre-school learners of Gajera Vidyabhavan, Sachin celebrated this festival in a very joyful manner and enjoyed every moment by performing dance in Garba style. The girls were dressed in the colorful ‘Ghagra cholis’ and boys were dressed in the beautiful ‘kurta pyjamas’, which was the theme for this event. The essence of the festivity was truly felt and celebrated by all in the true spirit of oneness.

• It was a memorable virtual event for Little Gajerians and for the learners which will be always remembered.The festival commemorates victory of Lord Rama over Ravana; hence it symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It sends a message that in a battle of right and wrong, righteousness always triumphs victorious.

Best Traditional Dress Competition- https://youtu.be/cpxF2fhY-7k

Navrati Celebration - https://youtu.be/-lNLN6NWYlU