Navratri

Navratri is another very sacred time in the life of Hindus. Navaratri literally means “nine nights” and these specific clusters of nine nights occurs five times during the year.

The origin of this celebration goes back to religious text where During Sharad Navratri, Goddess Durga killed mighty demon Mahishasura. Different religious texts mention separate form of Goddess Durga who killed Mahishasura. Hence, the victory of Goddess Durga over evil is celebrated during Navratri.

Sharad Navratri occurs during the months of September-October during the bright fortnight. The nine-night cluster is divided such that three of these nights are for worshipping Durga or Kali, another three dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and three for worshipping Saraswati. Ramleela celebrations also run con-current with Sharad Navaratri. It is a time when Hindus avoid non-vegetarian food and indulge in fasting and lots of praying.