The festival of Navratri is celebrated throughout India by devoting Maa Durga. During this holistic season, people pray to 9 incarnations of Devi Durga over nine days. The tenth day of this auspicious occasion is Dusherra which is celebrated on the triumph of good over evil. Devotees fast and carry out different rituals during this festive season. People believe that through rigorous prayers Lord Durga will be pleased and will bestow her blessings on them. The market will also be busy with the crowd and it is one of the high times when sellers earn huge profits. To know why this festival is grandly celebrated in different parts of the country in different ways and to get unique navratri celebration ideas, just continue reading.
Why Navratri Is Celebrated?
Do you know why Maa Durga is worshiped on this occasion? Lord Brahma, the creator of life on earth blessed Mahishasura (demon) with a gift of immortality. The blessing comes with a condition that he will be defeated only by a woman. By misusing lord Brahma's gift, the demon began to exploit and kill people. To kill the undefeated Mahishasura, the three gods (Vishnu, Shiva & Brahma) created Durga. The war between goddess and demon went on for 9days and on the 10th day, the devil was killed. Thus, the festival of Navratri gives a global message of the win of good over bad.
Unique Navratri Celebration Ideas
Navratri Dance
Two forms of dance are quite popular during this holistic season i.e., Garba and Raas. Garb is a traditional dance where people clap hands and go round. While raas is another form where dandiya sticks are used while playing dance. You can host a dance party by inviting friends and families to your home. Try to have a dress code for enhancing the festive vibe for each day of this season. These ideas to celebrate Navratri will be exciting and also it will be one of the best occasions.
Preparing Traditional Food
On every day of Navratri, different foods are offered to Maa Durga to please and get her blessings. Nowadays most of them buy food items from shops rather than making them. You can stand out from the crowd by preparing traditional foods at your home with your family. A better time can be well-spent with family and also it will be a better way of celebrating Navratri. The specialty of the Navratri foods is that they are not only healthy but also delicious. A common recipe for this season includes milk, yoghourt, fresh vegetables, and singharatta. It is said that onion, garlic, and meat shouldn't be consumed during this festive season.
Decorating Your Home
Unlike many other Indian festivals, Navratri involves the task of cleaning and decoring the home. It is done because during Navratri Maa Durga is believed to visit homes and so to please her, homes are cleaned. So, make sure to do everything right for welcome the lord goddess. You can buy new gorgeous home dcor items to enhance the aesthetic visuals of the home. Or else, by using incredible Rangoli colors, the decoration can be done. Follow these best navratri celebration ideas for getting the blessing of the Goddess.
Arranging Navratri Pooja
Devotees bring the idol of Goddess Durga or an earthen pot during this festive season. The decorated pot is called Garba signifying prosperity and nascent life. The pot should be worshiped for 9 days and it must be decorated with fresh flowers on a daily basis. In the first 3 days, Durga is worshiped for wealth and prosperity while in the last 3 days, Saraswathi is worshiped for wisdom. Avoid cutting lemon while Garba is at home as it is regarded as inauspicious. Avoid consuming fried foods on these nine days to defeat the objective of body and spirit.
Hosting Kolu
Navaratri is not just about rituals but also many other happy things. Decoration of kolu is one of the significant ideas that can be followed in this season. It is interesting and also a great way of narrating Hindu mythological stories. Kolu is decorated in 9 steps on each stair signifying 9 nights of the festival. The stairs can be well-decorated with dolls and idols of gods. You can also host bhajan by inviting friends and families to the home. These unique navratri celebration ideas will be best and they will add hues to this auspicious occasion.
Wrapping Up
Navratri is a holistic occasion celebrated by Indian Hindus by devoting Lord Durga. Also, they spread the message of winning good over bad at any period. Now, you must understand why Navratri is celebrated. Also, the above-given content must have provided ideas about uniquely celebrating the Navratri. Follow the named ideas and make the celebration a remarkable one. Hope the content is useful for gaining some knowledge about Navratri festival celebration ideas.