Report and pics from Jessie Rodrigues
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Oct 10: Navarathri is a nine-day festival, observed mainly by ladies in India. The festival geneally falls in the month of October every year and culminates on the tenth day which is called Dussera. This is also called 'Vijayadasami' and is celebrated as the day of victory to rejoice about Durga's triumph over the demon Mahishasura. Goddesses Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswathi are worshipped during the festival days.
In Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, families arrange dolls (Bomma Kolu) in their houses nicely, together with decorative displays of lamps and flowers. Women traditionally offer coconuts, Haldi-Kumkum, betel leaves, supari, fruits, sweets etc., to those who visit their houses for watching the arrangement of dolls.
In northern states, Dussera is celebrated as the victory of Lord Sriram over Ravana, the King of Lanka. In vast open spaces, Ram Leela, the folk play with music and spontaneous dialogues, is enacted, reiterating the triumph of good over evil.
Vijayadasami is also the day of Saraswathi, the diety of knowledge and learning. It is on this day that the young children are normally initiated into education through a ceremony called 'Vidyarambham'. This year, Navarathri was celebrated from September 30 to October 9, the day of 'Vijayadasami'.
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