Navratri is a festival of music and dance. While there are many stories, the festival celebrates the victory of good over evil. Navratri literally means ‘nine nights’ at the end of which is the festival of Dusshera, i.e. “tenth day”. Each day of Navratri is typically adorned with different Navratri Colors. Here is what you can expect for Navratri 2020.
There are many stories that define the Navratri festival, however, the most common is the victory of Godess Durga over the buffalo demon to restore Dharma. The tenth day of the festival, Dusshera celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over the evil King Ravana. Many people stage or go to see “Ram Lila”, i.e. the story of Lord Rama.
However, the festival is most commonly associated with Durga Ma, in fact the nine nights of Navratri celebrate the most sacred forms and aspects of Durga Maa. Each form is honoured with its own colour, hence the Nine Colours of Navratri. These colours change every year, and many people wear these colours religiously as following it is considered to bring good luck to the wearer. People often wear these colours to visit the pandals which are erected in the honour of Durga Maa and house large statues of Goddess Durga. These statues are submerged in large water bodies at the end of nine days.
The Nine Colours of Navratri 2020:
Day 1 – Saturday – October 17, 2020 – Grey
Day 2 – Sunday – October 18, 2020 – Orange
Day 3 – Monday – October 19, 2020 – White
Day 4 – Tuesday – October 20, 2020 – Red
Day 5 – Wednesday – October 21, 2020 – Royal Blue
Day 6 – Thursday – October 22, 2020 – Yellow
Day 7 – Friday – October 23, 2020 – Green
Day 8 – Saturday – October 24, 2020 – Peacock Green
Day 9 – Sunday – October 25, 2020 – Purple
In addition to wearing the colours and watching Ram Lila, another well known aspect of Navratri are the dances. Made famous by the state of Gujarat, which hold the biggest dances, these dances often include playing dandiya and garba. People often dance long into the night.
Hope you enjoy Navratri 2020, and read more about other Cultural Events here.
