04 Oct Teach your kids about the NAVRATRI festival

‘Nava’ means nine and ‘Ratri’ means night, so the festival Navratri literally means nine nights. India celebrates an amazing mix of festivals, so, it is important to explain to kids about the importance of these festivals.

When do we celebrate Navratri?

The festival of Navratri is actually celebrated with a lot of richness and decoration across India, with different cultures across different states. This year it is celebrated from 26th september to 5th October.

Why do we celebrate Navratri?

 During this time, devotees fast and worship all 9 incarnations of Goddess Durga. It is celebrated for different reasons in different parts of the country.

In North India, it is celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Ram on the 9th day of the festivities. (Hence, the name ‘Ram Navami’.) While in East India, it is celebrated as Durga Puja which marks the triumph of Goddess Kali over the demon Mahishasura.

In the Western part of the country, it is celebrated with great pomp and show with garba and dandiya, while in the South making of dolls of Golu/Kolu for display on wooden steps marks the celebration as a bit different from rest of India

Since Goddess Durga is a feminine energy, it is believed that young girls are a form of her. Every household has different ways of performing the Kanya Puja. Some people perform it on the eighth day of Navratri, i.e. on Ashtami, while few perform it on the ninth day of Navratri, i.e. on Navami. The significance of inviting these girls:

• Worshiping one girl gives you Aishwarya (prosperity)
• Worshiping two girls bless you with Bhog and Moksha
• Worshiping three girls will provide Dharma, Kaam, and Artha
• Worshiping four girls will give you Rajyapad (authority)
• Worshiping five girls increases your Vidhya (Knowledge)
• Worshiping six girls bless you with 6 kinds of Siddhi.
• Worshiping seven girls will help you attain Rajya (power and kingdom)
• Worshiping eight girls improves Sampada (wealth)
• Worshiping nine girls will provide Prabhutva (Ownership)

Wishing you all a very blessed and joyful Navratri, full of blessings and smiles. May these nine auspicious days of Navaratri bring immense joy and peace to your life. Happy Navaratri.