Navratri (nine nights) is one of the greatest Hindu festivals. It symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Navratri festival is celebrated for nine days. Navratri is also known as Durga Puja. During this period, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshiped as three different manifestations of Shakti, or cosmic energy. The festival is dedicated to Durga, the mother goddess who also represents power. Durga annihilated the demon Mahishasura after a relentless battle lasting nine days and nights.
Navratri is a festival in which God is adored as Mother. To celebrate a good harvest and to propitiate the nine planets, women also plant nine different kinds of food grain seeds in small containers during these nine days and then offer the young saplings to the goddess. Navratri is a time for shopping for new clothes and new pots. It is an auspicious time to buy gold or jewelery and the gold markets are open late each night. Women dress elaborately each day for the puja or rituals and nightly dances. Another part of the puja/rituals may involve designing puja-thalis or aartis which are decorated plates in honour of the mother goddess, Amba (Ambika).
The tenth day of the festival is called Dussehra, and marks the triumph of good over evil, and also the motherhood of God.
Whoever celebrates navratri (golu) at their home kindly keep sharing all you did every day. Thanks! 
Navarathri (நவராத்திரி) is a period of nine days celebrating, feasting and worshipping goddess Durga. The tenth day, after the Nava-rathri s celebrated as Vijayadasami (விஜயதசமி). The Nava-rathri is celebrated in the North and the South India in different ways.
In South India, Navrathri is dedicated to Durga (துர்கா), Lakshmi (லக்ஷ்மி) and Saraswathi (சரஸ்வதி). A three-day pooja is offered to each of the Goddesses starting with Durga.
During this period, it is customary in many homes in Tamil Nadu to display a ‘Golu’ (கொலு). This is an exhibition of various dolls in odd numbered tiers (படி, ‘padi-s’). The Golu-s vary in theme from house to house - from the elaborate, extravagant ones to the simple, traditional and artistic ones.
Golu is adorned with dolls - predominantly with that of the Gods and Goddesses depicting mythology. The most Common ones are Dasavatharam (தசாவதாரம்), Ramar Pattabhishekam (பட்டாபிஷேகம்), Meenakshi Thiru-kalyanam (மீனாக்ஷி திருக்கல்யாணம்), Murugan and Valli (முருகன், தெய்வானை, வள்ளி), Krishna-leela (கிருஷ்ண லீலை), etc. Themes such as marriage, school, etc are also adopted.
Golu does not mean that the dolls are kept only on the steps. Innovation plays a vital role. Creativity and divinity combine to form a veritable presentation.
Generally, when people come to a person's house to see the Golu, they are given prasadam (பிரசாதம், the offering given to God that day), kumkumam (குங்குமம், red powder), and a small bag of gifts usually containing a mirror, a comb, a small box of kumkumam, and fruits. These are only given to girls and married women. This is chiefly a woman's festival.
In the evenings, a lamp is lit, in the middle of a decorated ‘kolam’ (கோலம், Rangoli), before the Golu and devotional hymns and sloka-s are chanted.
On the 9th day (Saraswathi Pooja, சரஸ்வதி பூஜை), special pooja-s are offered to Goddess Saraswathi - the divine source of wisdom and enlightenment. Books and musical instruments are placed in the pooja and worshipped as a source of knowledge.
Topic: Happy Navratri to all 2010 (Read 2078 times)