Navratri, the festival of nights, lasts for 9 days with
three days each devoted to worship of Ma Durga, the Goddess of Valor, Ma
Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Ma Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge.
During the nine days of Navratari, feasting and fasting take precedence over
all normal daily activities amongst the Hindus. Evenings give rise to the
religious dances in order to worhip Goddess Durga Maa.
1st - 3rd day of Navratri
On the first day of the Navaratras, a small bed of mud is prepared in the puja
room of the house and barley seeds are sown on it. On the tenth day, the shoots
are about 3 - 5 inches in length. After the puja, these seedlings are pulled
out and given to devotees as a blessing from god. These initial days are
dedicated to Durga Maa, the Goddess of power and energy. Her various
manifestations, Kumari, Parvati and Kali are all worshipped during these days.
They represent the three different classes of womanhood that include the child,
the young girl and the mature woman.
4th - 6th day of Navratri
During these days, Lakshmi Maa, the Goddess of peace and prosperity is
worshipped. On the fifth day which is known as Lalita Panchami, it is
traditional, to gather and display all literature available in the house, light
a lamp or 'diya' to invoke Saraswati Maa, the Goddess of knowledge and art.
7th - 8th day of Navratri
These final days belong to Saraswati Maa who is worshipped to acquire the
spiritual knowledge. This in turn will free us from all earthly bondage. But on
the 8th day of this colourful festival, yagna (holy fire) is performed. Ghee
(clarified butter), kheer (rice pudding) and sesame seeds form the holy offering
to Goddess Durga Maa.
Mahanavami
The festival of Navratri culminates in Mahanavami. On this day Kanya Puja is
performed. Nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga are
worshiped. Their feet are washed as a mark of respect for the Goddess and then
they are offered new clothes as gifts by the worshiper. This ritual is
performed in most parts of the country.