Navratri-The Nine Nights Festival
September 25, 2007
“Nav” denotes the number nine and “Ratri” means night. This festival is celebrated differently in various parts of India but all pay obeisances to Goddess Shakti. She represents Prakriti (Nature), counterpart of Purusha (Man) jointly making possible the creation of the world according to the religious ideology of Goddess worship.Various legends and rituals of this nine day festival end with Dussera/Dussehra/Dassera.
Some celebrate the Navratri where the first three days are dedicated to Goddess Amba (Warrior Goddess) dressed in red and mounted on a tiger, next three to Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity) dressed in gold and mounted on an owl and finally, last three to Goddess Saraswati (Goddess Of Knowledge) dressed in milky white and mounted on a pure white swan. The Bengalis celebrate Durga Puja/Pooja for five days in this period of Navratri. The state of Gujarat has its own ways and interpretation of celebrating this festival. They are known to celebrate it with dances known as Garba and Dandiya (Dancing With Sticks). This originated with the legends of Lord Krishna and Rasa dance. Their celebration is mainly an agricultural festival and also associated with the fertility of Mother Earth who feeds us as her children.
A cloth called “Mata ni Pachepi” has the adventures of the seven mothers painted. The mother, one of the seven archetypes, painted in the centre and surrounded by her devotees and Bua, the magician-priest. At the end of the month the Bua wraps the cloth around and sings and dances with unmarried girls carrying pots of sprouted corn. Finally, the pot is immersed in the waters of a river.
Garba and Dandiya-Ras are popular folk-dances which begin in the evenings and continue throughout the nights of these nine days in open grounds, halls and large banquet rooms. They are managed by large trusts and now a mega event where sponsors get a live audience for their promotions. Women wear ethnic Chaniya Choli embroidered with beads and glasswork while men are dressed in Dhoti-Kurta, sometimes matching and color coordinated with their dancing partners. The dancers move round in a circle around a Mandvi (Garbo), a structure to hold earthen lamps filled with water and to house the image or idol of the Goddess. A betel nut and a silver coin are placed within the pot, called Kumbh. A coconut is placed on it.
Pandals are erected over these Madvis and decorated with date palm leaves, flowers and electrical lights. As the dancers whirl around the pot, a singer and a drummer provide the musical accompaniment. The participants clap in a steady rhythm. The dance usually starts slowly. It gets faster and faster as the music beats increase their tempo.
Each year, there are various troupes who specialize only in Dandiya like the band Sankap who has their lead singer “Falguni Pathak”, the Dandiya Queen. In recent times, this event is more of a glamour show with celebrities participating in them and organizing contests. One needs to buy passes months in advance to become a part of this extravaganza. Then they need to have the right costume, jewelary and all the latest accessories to be a part of the crowd. Organizers give cash prizes, holiday packages and consumer durables for best outfits, best dancing couple and so on. Very few of these events actually do it in the religious spirit.
©Nayna, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
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