Navratri

Navratri Festival is regarded as one of the most holy and revered festivals of the Hindus. Lasting for a period of nine days, the festival is dedicated to Goddess Shakti. Also known as the Divine Mother, the Goddess assumes many forms. Three of her forms consist of Goddess Durga (destructive), Goddess Lakshmi (protective) and Goddess Saraswati (knowledge). These three forms of Goddess Shakti are worshipped during the nine days of Navratri. The first three days are dedicated to Goddess Durga, the next three to the Goddess Lakshmi and the last three to Goddess Saraswati.

It signifies that Goddess Durga destroys all the evil thoughts of her devotees and cleanses their mind. Thereafter, Lakshmi inserts pure thoughts in the minds of the devotees. And finally, Saraswati bestows true knowledge to her devotees. The festival of Navratras in Delhi, just like other cities, is observed twice a year. Once it is observed in the Hindu month of Chaitra (March-April) and the second time during the Aswayuja (September-October). On the last day of Navratri, people worship little girls and make offerings to them as it is believed that they are manifestations of goddess Durga. Navaratri celebrations in New Delhi, the capital of India also consist of the dance programs, known as Dandiya.