Chapter I
What it celebrates
The Devi Mahatmya tells how the gods could not defeat the buffalo demon Mahishasura. From their combined anger arose the goddess Durga, each god giving her a weapon. She fought the demon for nine days and on the tenth slew him.
Navaratri therefore celebrates the power of the goddess, shakti Divine power or energy, often personified as the goddess. Glossary, the energy that sustains the universe. Over the nine nights she is worshipped in nine forms, and often as Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati in turn.
Chapter II
How it is kept
Many people fast or eat simple food during the nine nights. Homes and temples set up images of the goddess; in the south families arrange dolls on steps, the golu. In Gujarat and among Gujaratis everywhere, people dance the circular garba and the stick dance dandiya raas late into the night.
In Bengal the festival becomes Durga Puja: great clay images of the goddess are installed in decorated pavilions, and at the end they are carried in procession and immersed in rivers.
Chapter III
Around the world
Kolkata’s Durga Puja, inscribed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2021, transforms the city. In Mysore the Dasara procession with decorated elephants has been held for centuries, and in Nepal the festival of Dashain is the biggest of the year.