NAVARATRA

Sanskrit Navaratra (nine nights), in Hinduism, a festival of nine days occurring during the month of Asin, or Asvina (SeptemberOctober). It usually ends with the dasehra, or dasahara, celebration on the 10th day. Among followers of the goddess Durga, who are particularly predominant in Bengal and Assam, the Durga-puja (Rite of Durga) is celebrated during this period. Special images of Durga commemorating her victory over the buffalo-headed demon Mahisasura are worshiped daily, and, on the 10th day (dasehra), they are taken in jubilant processions to nearby rivers or reservoirs for immersion in water. In addition to family feasting and visiting, the puja, or ritual, days are also celebrated with public concerts, recitations, plays, and fairs. In other parts of India, the 10th day, dasehra, is associated with the victory of the god Rama over the demon-king Ravana. In North India the Ram Lila (Play of Rama) is the highlight of the festival. On successive nights different episodes of the epic poem the Ramayana are dramatized by young actors elaborately costumed and masked; the pageant is always climaxed by the burning of huge effigies of the demons. Athletic tournaments and hunting expeditions are often organized. Many other, lesser observances are associated with the festival of navaratra in varying ways across the country. On the first day of navaratra, a rite is celebrated in honour of the goddess of learning, Sarasvati, in which she is worshiped together with the sacred books of the house; this is a favourite observance among the Bengali population of India. In parts of Maharashtra, the fifth day is given to the worship of the goddess Lalita and is known as Lalita-pacami (Lalita's Fifth Day).