Navratri, meaning 'nine
nights', is one of the most popular and widely celebrated Hindu festivals in
many parts of India. Gujarat, however, is the only state that erupts into a
nine-night dance festival, perhaps the longest in the world. Each night, all
over the state, villages and cities alike, people gather in open spaces to
celebrate feminine divinity, referred to as Shakti.
The dance form known as ras garba (also joined sometimes by dandiya, which uses small wooden sticks), comes from Lord Krishna's
worship rather than Goddess worship, from the Gop culture of Saurashtra and Kutch.
Nevertheless,
the focal point of every Garba circle
is the small Goddess shrine erected by each community to mark the beginning of
the festival, on the first day of the Hindu month of Ashwin. The shrine includes a garbo,
an earthenware pot, in which a betel nut, coconut, and silver coin are placed.
Each night the village or urban neighborhood
gathers to perform a puja to one of
the nine forms of Goddess: namely Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. After the puja begins the music people begin to
dance in a circle, whirling away till late into the night. It is not uncommon
to find dancers with swords or lit flames and other spectacles. Similarly, the music was traditionally acoustic,
principally composed of drums and singing, but most people now use amplified
sound systems or a blend in the form of a live band with modern
instruments. The tenth day of Navratri
that is Dussehra is also known as Vijayadashami
in South India and is celebrated with great aplomb.
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