Well, did you have fun learning about Holi and Diwali? I hope you did because now, you're going to be learning even more! You know that in the Holi story, the main character is Prahlad. You know that in the Diwali story, Rama, who is a God, is the main character. Now, in the story of Navratri, the main character is a Goddess. This story will be as short as the Holi story, not as long as the Diwali story, and maybe even shorter than the Holi story.
Once upon a time, there was a a god named Shiva. He lived in a mountain called Kailash with his wife, Devi. There was also a demon named Mahishasur. He was roaming around one day and ended up in Kailash. Devi was sitting there, next to her husband. Both of them were meditating. Mahishasur was immediately attracted to Devi's beauty. He then requested Devi to marry him, not knowing that she was already married. She got angry immediately and she declared war with Mahishasur. Mahishasur started laughing. Devi called Goddesses Laxmi and Saraswati to Kailash. The two of them got angry when they heard the whole story. The three goddesses then combined into one goddess who is called Durga. Durga and Mahishasur fought for years until Durga finally stabbed Mahishasur in the back with a trident, causing him to bleed and then eventually die. Navratri is the celebration of Durga killing Mahishasur.
Once again, this holiday celebrates truth's triumph over evil. Navratri is celebrated for nine days in either November or October, depending on the Indian calendar. In English, Navratri means Festival of Nine Nights. On each day, Indians worship the nine forms of Durga. Her forms are Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandragantha, Kushmanda, Skandmata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. In Hindi, this is called the Nav Durga because nav means nine in Hindi. On the first day of Navratri, people would worship Shailputri. Then the rest of them in that order for nine days. To celebrate Navratri, people in India go to temples to worship Durga, eat sweets, wear colorful clothing, (not black, brown, white, or gray) dance, and light lamps around houses. It is just as fun as Diwali or Holi! It's another thing you can try out with your family! Only the benefit in this holiday is that you get to party around for nine days instead of one! That would be fun in my opinion!
These are some items that are used during Hindu festivals.
1. Colorful Clothing 2. Shrines for Gods and Goddesses 3. Sweets 4. Fun! Use the Fun Inside of You!
