Navaratri

(“nine nights”) Festival dedicated to the
Goddess celebrated twice during the
year. The spring Navaratri occurs during
the bright, waxing half of the lunar
month of Chaitra (March–April), and
the fall Navaratri falls during the bright
half of the lunar month of Ashvin
(September–October). Each Navaratri
celebration lasts for the first nine nights
468
Navadvip
Worshipers celebrating the Navaratri festival carry an image of the Goddess in the form of Durga.
of these lunar months and concludes
with a festival dedicated to the god
Rama: Ram Navami in Chaitra and
Dussehra in Ashvin. Of the two, the fall
Navaratri is far more important. The fall
Navaratri is celebrated with fervor in the
Bengal region, where the Goddess is the
dominant regional deity. The Bengali
Navaratri is characterized by large processions featuring elaborately decorated
clay images of the Goddess. These
images are commissioned by individuals, businesses, trade unions, and neighborhood associations. Having the best
image is a sign of great status. During
the weeks around Navaratri, Bengali
children get a holiday from school, state
workers get paid vacation from their
jobs, and the electricity supply
in Calcutta runs without interruptions—
a phenomenon dubbed the Navaratri
“miracle,” since during the rest of
the year shortages and blackouts
are common.
These Navaratri festivals are performed to gain the favor of the Mother
Goddess, particularly in her powerful
forms such as Durga. During these nine
nights devotees (bhakta) perform a variety of different rites. Some fast
(upavasa) and worship in their homes,
often consecrating temporary images of
the Goddess for use during this festival.
Devotees may also worship young girls
as manifestations of the Goddess, or
sponsor readings of the Devimahatmya,
the earliest and most important text for
the mythology of the Goddess. They may
also worship the Goddess in her form as
Navadurga, paying homage to a different form on each of the nine nights.
Another common practice is to harvest shoots of barley, which are sometimes worn on the final day of the
festival. This practice hints at the festival’s purpose since, among other things,
the Goddess represents the female
power of fertility and procreation. In
northern India, the spring festival
comes before the crops are planted.
Wearing sprouting grain is an attempt to
please the Goddess so the crop may
flourish. The fall Navaratri comes after
the harvest, when this promise of
fruition has been fulfilled, and is seen as
a time of thanksgiving for blessings
received. The Goddess also represents
the triumph of good over evil; the readings of the Devimahatmya on these
occasions remind the listeners of the
Goddess’ wondrous deeds and assure
them of her continued protection.