Navratri (Sharad)

Navratri, literally meaning "nine nights," is among the most revered festivals in the Hindu calendar and is dedicated to the worship of the divine feminine in the form of the goddess Durga and her nine manifestations. The most widely observed Navratri is Sharad Navratri, falling in the Hindu lunar month of Ashwin (typically September or October), and culminates on the tenth day with Vijayadashami or Dussehra — the day Durga slew the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Each of the nine nights is dedicated to one of Durga's nine forms: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. The festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil, the protective and creative power of feminine divinity, and the renewal of community bonds through music, dance, and shared worship.

Devotees observe partial fasts during the nine days, abstaining from grains, meat, alcohol, and onion or garlic, instead consuming vrat-friendly foods such as singhara atta puris, sabudana khichdi, and kuttu pakoras. Daily aarti and chanting of the Devi Mahatmya scripture take place at home altars and temples. Each evening features Garba and Dandiya Raas circle dances performed in colorful traditional attire, with women in chaniya cholis and men in kediyu kurtas accompanied by dhol drumming and devotional songs. Many homes plant barley seeds called jowar in clay pots on the first day, with the sprouted grass distributed as prasad on the tenth.

Gujarat hosts the world's largest Garba and Dandiya gatherings, particularly in Vadodara and Ahmedabad, where commercial pandals draw crowds of fifty thousand or more. West Bengal observes the corresponding Durga Puja from the sixth to tenth day with elaborate pandals featuring artistic and increasingly conceptual themes, immersion processions called bisarjan, and the cultural festival of pandal hopping. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka mark Golu — a stepped display of dolls representing gods, gurus, and historical figures, with families inviting neighbors to visit each home's display. Northern India observes Ramlila theatrical reenactments of the Ramayana culminating in the burning of giant effigies of Ravana, Meghnath, and Kumbhakarna on Dussehra night.