There are two Navratri celebrations in India. The first Navaratri is called the Chaitra Navratrai and the second is called Ashwin Navratri. The first one is celebrated in the month of March- April and the second is celebrated in the month of September – October according to the Gregorian calendar. The celebrations of both these Navratri is full of devotion, joy and passion in the country. The nine days festive celebrations fill the entire atmosphere with colors of devotion and love for the deity. Devotees of Maa Durga observe fast for the nine days. They fill the surroundings with mantras, sholkas and bhajans dedeicated to Mata Rani and make the entire atmosphere pious and sanctified. Lyrics of few of the popular Navratri devotional songs are given below, you can sing them in the coming Navratri celebrations.
from - http://festivals.iloveindia.com/navratri/bhajans.html
The most popular Navaratri is the one that falls in end of september / begining of October.
The main ritual of Navratri, celebrated on September-October, consists of placing images of Goddess Durga, in homes and temples. The devotees offer fruits and flowers to the Goddess. They also sing bhajans in her honor.
The first three days of Navratri are devoted exclusively to the worship of Goddess Durga, when her energy and power are worshipped. Each day is dedicated to a different appearance of Durga, namely Kumari, Parvati and Kali.
There is also a custom of planting barley seeds in a small bed of mud on the first day of puja. The shoots, when grown, are given to the attendees, as a blessing from Goddess, after the puja ceremony.
These fourth, fifth and sixth days of Navratri are dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth & Prosperity. Goddess Saraswati is also prayed to, on the fifth day, which is known as Lalita Panchami.
The ninth day is the final day of Navratri celebrations, which is also known as 'Mahanavami'. On this day, Kanya puja is performed, where nine young, who have not yet reached the stage of puberty, are worshipped. Each of these nine girls symbolizes one of the nine forms of Goddess Durga. The feet of the girls are washed, to welcome the goddess and show respect to her. Thereafter, the girls are offered food and a set of new clothes, as a gift from the devotees.
The nine-day Navratra celebrations, which fall in September-October, come to an end with the immersion of the idols of Goddess Durga in water.
Dandiya and Garba are the featured dances performed on the evenings of Navratri, mainly in Gujarat. Garba is performed before the 'aarti', as devotional performance in the honor of the Goddess, while Dandiya is performed after it, as a part of the celebrations.
In case of September-October Navratri celebrations, the tenth day is celebrated as Dussehra. On this day, devotees perform 'Saraswati Puja', for blessings of knowledge and mental peace. On the day, the burning of the dummy of demon king Ravana also takes place.
These dances are generally performed in a big group, so every one gathers at a common place, normally in a big ground to participate in this festive and colorful dance. While Garba is performed exclusively by women, both men and women join in for dandiya. At many places, dandiya dance starts in the late evening time at around 9 P.M. and lasts till early morning at 4 A.M.
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