What is Navaratri?

Navaratri begins on September 21st and ends on September 30th.

Navaratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu Goddess Durga. The word Navaratri means 'nine nights' in Sanskrit, ‘nava’ meaning nine and ‘ratri’ meaning nights.

Each of the nine nights are dedicated to worshipping and celebrating the Mother Goddess Durga- and Durga represents strength and power- talk about MAJOR Girl Power!

On the first three days, Durga is worshipped as a powerful motherly force in order to destroy all of our impurities, vices and pain. The next three days, the Lakshmi is worshipped as the Goddess of spiritual wealth. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping Saraswati, the Goddess of wisdom.

After the nine sacred nights of Navaratri, the tenth day is Dussehra, a festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. On this day lord Rama destroyed the 10-headed demon Ravana and Goddess Durga destroyed demon Mahishashur. As a mark of happiness and celebration, dances, outdoor plays and prayers will be performed today in Northern and Southern India.

During this festival a popular cultural traditional dance called Garba Raas is performed every evening and is a fun dance party for everyone! Twenty days after Navaratri, Diwali — the festival of lights — is celebrated. Navratri, therefore, marks the beginning of a festive season that people look forward to throughout the year.