Navaratri

How is Navaratri celebrated?

Navaratri is celebrated with joy and splendor across India and throughout the global diaspora, honoring the goddess in her nine forms — one for each sacred night — while taking on a distinct character in each region. In West Bengal it becomes the grand civic spectacle of Durga Puja, with gigantic goddess idols enshrined in elaborately decorated community pavilions. In Gujarat and western India it is synonymous with the exuberant circle dances of Garba and Dandiya Raas, performed each night to devotional music in communal spaces alive with color and movement. In Tamil Nadu and the south, the Golu tradition — decorated dolls, deities, and figurines arranged on tiered steps — transforms homes into miniature sacred landscapes and draws neighbors together in community celebration. The festival culminates on Vijayadashami — Dussehra — the day of victory over evil and, across much of India, the most auspicious day of the year for beginning new endeavors.