How to Celebrate Navratri (Dussehra) – Dates, Schedule, Wishes, WhatsApp Messages, and All About the Nine-Day Festival Of Goddess Durga
Navaratri is a 9-day pageant celebrated in India to honor the Mother Goddess in all her avatars (forms). Navratri is widely known two times each year, as soon as withinside the month Chaitra (March) after which withinside the month of Ashwin (September–October). The latter includes the principle rituals of setting the idol or photograph of the Goddess in houses and temples and immersed in water after the 9 days of Navaratri. Navratri is a Sanskrit phrase because of this that 9 nights. On those 9 nights and ten days, 9 exclusive sorts of Goddess Durga are worshipped.
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Navratri 2021: Dates and Schedule
| Important Occasion | Date | Day |
| Pratipada, Day 1 | 7 October 2021 | Thursday |
| Dwitiya, Day 2 | 8 October 2021 | Friday |
| Tritiya, Day 3 | 9 October 2021 | Saturday |
| Chaturthi, Day 4 | 10 October 2021 | Sunday |
| Panchami, Day 5 | 11 October 2021 | Monday |
| Shashthi, Day 6 | 11 October 2021 | Monday |
| Saptami, Day 7 | 12 October 2021 | Tuesday |
| Ashtami, Day 8 | 13 October 2021 | Wednesday |
| Navami, Day 9 | 14 October 2021 | Thursday |
| Dashami (Dussehra) | 15 October 2021 | Friday |
Navratri Celebrations in Western India
Navratri is one of the important festivals celebrated all over Bharat(India), although the celebrations in one part of the country are very different from each other. With various customs and traditions, each region of India has its own unique way of celebrating Navaratri by honoring the multiple forms of the Mother Goddess with their rituals and ceremonies.
In Gujarat, Navaratri is a large community event where, in addition to the ritual, people gather in large numbers on the community grounds to perform the traditional dances of Dandiya Raas and Garba Raas while singing devotional songs. People dress in their traditional costumes and spend the evening dancing to the rhythm of traditional Gujarati folk songs. They also watch Jagran sing bhajans and praise the Goddess all night long.
In Maharashtra, the first and last days of Navaratri are especially important here. The first day is dedicated to the goddess Durga while the tenth day known as Vijayadashmi is dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. This day is considered a good omen to start something new. The students keep their books, and the businessmen keep their books near the idol to ask for blessings on their efforts. In Andhra Telangana, Navratri collides with Bathukamma, also celebrated for nine days with exotic flowers and decorations.
Navratri Celebrations in Eastern India
In Bengal and the locations around it, the closing 4 days of Navaratri are celebrated as Durga Puja in honor of Goddess Durga. Huge idols of the Goddess are introduced domestic or to network pandals (tents) to be worshipped for all of the 4 days with exclusive pujas for every day. On the closing day, the idol is taken out in a procession to be immersed in water. Kolkata is well-known for its Durga Puja celebrations and the grand night Pujas are a spotlight of the festival. Bengalis additionally carry out their conventional dances for the duration of those days.
Navratri Celebrations in South India
Even in southern India, customs vary from each other. During Navratra in Mysore, devotees worship the royal deity Chamundi by celebrating the festival with large processions of elephants and horse chariots on the 10th day when the king goes to worship the goddess on his temple hill. While states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, women organize a traditional doll exhibition called Bommaikalu. It is a series of strange steps whose initial steps are filled with dolls of deities; the next steps have saints from all over the world. The following steps show the main work of the housewife while the last step shows the work of the children to organize their toys. The women invite other women to their homes and exchange traditional flowers and symbols of a married Indian woman.
Navratri Celebrations in North India
In this part of the country, this holiday is known as Navaratras and is observed with a fasting period of seven days. On the eighth day, the fast is completed by inviting young girls home as avatars of the goddess herself known as Kanjak Devis, to be worshiped in traditional ceremonies. Navami is the 9th day of the feast where the seeds of legumes or cereals that had been sown on the 1st day and worshiped over the days are sprouted, and after the puja the seedlings are immersed in the water of the picking customs of the place.
In many parts of northern India, Ramaleela – a play about the epic of Ramayana is performed Similar to the celebrations in South India, the 10th day of Navaratri known as Dusshera is also celebrated here by burning the effigies of Ravana. However, the effigies of Ravana Kumbhakarna’s brother and son Meghanand are also burned here with Ravana.
Although these regions of India have their own different ways of celebrating the Navaratri festival, they have not shied away from embracing the traditions of others while celebrating their own.
Wishes, SMS and WhatsApp Messages
Happy Chaitra Navratri!
Have a blessed Navaratri
Happy Navratri to you and your family.
Cherish new beginnings this Navratri!
Let Navratri days bring you hope and courage in life. Happy Navratri.
May this festival bring you happiness and success. HAPPY NAVRATRI 2021!
May the blessings of maa Durga fall upon you and your family. HAPPY NAVRATRI 2021!
Let the spirit of these pious Navratri days bring you hope and courage in life. Happy Navratri to all.
May the nine auspicious days of Navratri bring hope and happiness to your life. HAPPY NAVARATRI 2021!
Wishing you nine nights of devotion and happiness. May Maa shower her blessings on you. Happy Navratri
Wishing you a happy and prosperous Navratri, may this festival bring you happiness and success. HAPPY NAVARATRI 2021!
May goddess Durga bless all with health, wealth, and prosperity on the auspicious occasion of Navratri. HAPPY NAVRATRI 2021!
May the 9 avatars of Maa Durga bless you with 9 qualities – power, happiness, humanity, peace, knowledge, devotion, name, fame, and health.
Wishing you a fantastic nine nights of devotion, spirituality, and happiness. May Maa shower her choicest blessings over you. Happy Navratri.
[…] is a pageant of worshipping the 9 avatars (Forms) of Maa Durga. Across the country, Navratri is widely known for 9 days and nights with a great passion and jubilation. During this festival, […]