Are the strains of music wafting in the air? Are you waiting
to dazzle the gathering with colourful costumes?
Yes. Navaratri, the annual festival, an eclectic mix of
religious fervor and enjoyment is here again. The brilliant colours of rangoli,
the traditional costumes, rhythmic clap of dandiya sticks, the artistic doll
displays, the delectable bhog offerings and the devotion of the devotees mark
this beautiful nine day festival. Navaratri is synonymous with the worship of
the nine forms of Maa Durga, namely Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta,
Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri,
Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. The
festival culminates on the tenth day of Vijaya Dashami.
Want to know how the festival is celebrated in different
ways under different names in different parts of India? Read on.
The world famous Durga
Puja, the main festival of the year in Kolkota
comes to mind as soon as you think of Navaratri. Bengalis come out bedecked
in their glorious red saris and finest jewellery to participate in their puja
pandals. However, the puja is not confined to Kolkota alone. It is celebrated
throughout the eastern States of West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Bihar, though
the celebrations in Kolkota is akin to the Ganesh Utsav celebrations of Mumbai
or Pune. Large sized idols of Goddess Durga on her vahan, the lion, with her trident aimed at the dreaded demon
Mahishasur are installed in beautifully decorated pandals to the beats of dhol, dhak and dhunuchi naach, and the celebrations are open to the public on the
last four days of Navaratri (Saptami,
Ashtami, Navami and Dashami.)There are some unique rituals associated with the
Durga Puja. The idols are sculpted and made ready before Navaratri begins, but
the eyes are not painted till Mahalaya. This is the day that the Goddess is
invited on earth and the eyes are drawn on this day in an auspicious ritual
called Chokku Daan, in the belief
that the Goddess will descend to earth to give her blessings to her devotees. And
the bhog offered to Maa Durga includes sweets like naru, kheer, payesh, malpua,
patishapta, chandrapuli and goja. Interestingly I have not seen rosogolla
(my favourite sweet) being offered to the Goddess or am I mistaken?
We mention Navaratri in Gujarat and what does one visualise!
The eruption of colours in the form women clad in decoratively embroidered
chania cholis and men in their traditional coloured pyjamas and short kurtas,
twirling around the garbo, an
earthenware pot beautifully decorated with shining mirrors and holes. Betel
leaves, betelnuts, coconut and coins are placed in this garbo and the image of
the Goddess along with the garbo forms the focal point of the ras garba or
dandiya ras. The rhythmic beat of music
resonates throughout the night sometimes as the people lose themselves to the
waves of spirituality. Every village, every town and every city in Gujarat has
its own garba. Vadodara, the cultural capital of Gujarat boasts of huge dandiya
events both traditional and modern or a fusion of both. Another significant tradition exists where the
villagers pay tribute to the monsoon harvest and fertility by setting up a
mound-like structure with fresh soil into which food grains are painstakingly
sown. This mound of soil is nurtured and watered regularly for all the nine
days. The nine days of Navaratri are divided into three parts. The
first three days are devoted to Durga Mata, the Goddess of strength, the next
three days to Mata Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, and the last three days
to Mata Saraswathi, the Goddess of learning. On the ninth day (Navami) a puja
called kanya puja is performed where
nine young girls are worshipped as the nine forms of Goddess Durga. The
euphoria of the festival reaches its crescendo on the tenth day which is
considered to be most auspicious for buying new things. The devotees who fast
through the nine days break their fast with the Kanya puja on Navami and gorge
on their favourite jalebi and fafdi along with other delicacies on Dashami day.
Move down South and one finds an attractive display of dolls decoratively arranged on steps. This is called Bommai Kolu in Tamil Nadu, Bommala Koluvu in Telengana and Andhra Pradesh and Bombe Habba in Karnataka. Bomma Kolu means divine presence, Bomma Koluvu means court of toys and Bombe Habba means doll festival. An odd number of steps three, five, seven or (most commonly) nine steps are decorated and dolls are neatly arranged. The nine steps are for the nine forms of the Goddess. A beautifully decorated kalash with fresh water, mango leaves and coconut, representing Goddess Durga, is kept in the centre of the topmost shelf. Dolls depicting Gods and Goddesses are placed on both sides of the kalash, as well as the top shelves. Some people arrange the dolls in a thematic fashion to relate stories from the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Next in line are the holy Saints. Then on the lower shelves, representations of daily life like farming, business, marriage, functions are creatively showcased. All through the nine days, devotional songs, hymns, slokas are sung or recited in praise of the supreme Goddess and neivedyam of sweets and sundal are offered. Married women are invited for “ Manjal kumkumam and vethalai pakku.”Though the artistic Kolu is kept for all the nine days, some keep it during the last three days of Navaratri. The ninth day of Navaratri is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Saraswathi and is called Saraswathi Puja, when puja to an arrangement of books, musical instruments are offered. The tenth day is Vijayadashami and children are initiated into learning for the first time (Vidyarambham). It is believed that anything you start on this day is bound to achieve success. On the day of Dashami, the dolls of the Kolu are symbolically put to sleep signaling the end of the festival.
Navaratri is celebrated with Mata ki chowki and jagrans in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana and UP. Devotees generally observe fast (Vrat) on the first seven days, while some observe fast for the entire nine days. They organize and attend jagrans to pay obeisance to the Devi, when the entire night is spent is singing devotional songs and praying to Mata Durga. In many parts of North India, the staging of Ramlila is organized. On the tenth day, Dashami, an effigy of Ravana is burnt, signaling the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana. Of special note is the celebration of the world famous Kullu Dusshera. In Kullu, also known as the valley of Gods, Dusshera festival starts when the celebrations in other parts of the country end. Dussehra in Kullu valley is a week-long festival starts with a procession of Lord Raghunath, along with other deities, carried on a Ratha across the town. The village Gods and minor deities also participate in this celebration. The entire region comes alive when the procession reaches the Dhalpur maidan, which is the centre of the colourful festivities, which include dance, music, cultural events and food.
In Maharashtra, the Navaratri celebrations are highly spiritual and personal. A ritual called Ghatasthapana is performed on the first day, when a small earthen pot with water is placed in the centre of a container filled with mud. This pot symbolizes Durga Mata. Grains are sown in the mud soil around the pot and religiously watered and allowed to sprout. For nine days this pot is worshipped with offerings of fruits and flowers amidst various rituals. Married women are invited for Haldi Kumkum to obtain their blessings for soumangalya. They are offered flowers to adorn their hair, bangles, and betel leaves, betel nut and coconut along with the haldi kumkum. On the eighth day of Ashtami, a havan (yagna) is performed for the Goddess to obtain her blessings. On Dashami, they collect the sona (gold) leaves of the Apta tree, visit relatives and friends and offer the sonpatha to everyone and take blessings from the elderly. Dashami is also the day for initiation into learning for children and this is called Vidhyarambham. This ritual is similar to the Vidyarambham of South India.
#Dusshera #Navaratri #Durgapuja #Garba #dandiya #Jagran #haldikumkum #Bommakolu #Bommalakoluvu #Bombehabba #Rasgarba
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