EVERY year, Hindus celebrate the festival of “Navratri” meaning “nine nights” devoted to the Goddess Durga who symbolises purity and power. Navratri will be celebrated two times this year by Hindus world-wide: March 21 to 28 and October 13 to 22. This festival is renowned for its ritualistic puja (prayers) and fasting that is accompanied by dazzling celebrations for nine consecutive days and nights. People gather to perform puja to the Goddess Durga and her different manifestations as Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of wealth) and Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of education). They would chant mantras and renditions of bhajans (religious songs) along with folk songs to accompany the rituals for these nine consecutive days of Navratri.
The fast also known as ‘Navratri Vrat,’ obligates every Hindu to abstain from consuming meat along with refraining from anything that is favourable to them. The scriptures however, state that devotees are also to abstain from consuming alcohol, onions, garlic, dishes made with common salt or any kind of spice.
In addition, some people live only on milk, fruit and fruit juices for the entire length of fasting. Apart from tea, coffee and milk, sago and potato cooked with rock salt are extremely popular dishes among devotees observing partial fasting; milk products and dry fruits can also be consumed. In a nutshell, it entails living to a strict vegetarian diet. However, not all Hindus are devoted to this fast; the less devoted ones would observe partial fasting, whereby they may break their fast after the evening puja.
The fast commences on the first day and carries on through the eighth day and is broken on the ninth day of Navratri. Firstly, people take an early bath and dress in fresh clothes; thereafter, they proceed to perform puja at their altar in their homes or their temple/mandir. The puja comprises mantra chanting, lighting of diya, recitation of verses from the scriptures and lastly the preparation and offering of “prasad” to the Goddesses. During the day, religious songs are sung followed by puja or “aarti” in the evenings. In India, large groups of devotees participate in all-night prayers as they would remain awake the entire night singing praises to the Goddess.
As a common practice, some devotees eat only one meal a day after the evening puja is performed. Additionally, apart from conforming to a vegetarian diet, devotees observe “niyamas” such as sleeping on the floor, not shaving or cutting nails and refraining from recreational activities. Most devotees however, perform charitable work which gives them more satisfaction.
Normally, some devotees follow the practice of breaking their Navratri fast on the eighth day (Ashtami) and some on the ninth day (Navami). The procedure is to carry out “Kanya” or “Kanchika Pujan,” whereby nine girls are worshipped and their feet washed. After this, they are treated to a spread of puri, halwa and channa (food offerings) and gifted handkerchief/clothes and money as tokens. The nine “kumarikanya,” then give blessings to the devotees observing Navratri vrat, after which they break their fast. On the ninth day, it is considered auspicious to offer “dakshina” (payment) to the Brahmin (priest/pandit).

The most popular food prepared during the festival in Guyana is “seven curry.” The curries are: pumpkin, dhal, aloo and channa, calaloo, eddoe and Boulanger, katahar and lastly mango curry; all accompanied with rice served in a “puri” leaf. For dessert, sweet-rice also known as “kheer” is prepared with puri and occasionally along with other sweetmeats. In India during Navratri, markets are flooded with packaged snacks for those who are fasting.
Navratri celebrations include traditional music and dances in India as opposed to Guyana where the majority of persons would spend a few hours worshipping the Goddesses in temples and go home thereafter. In India on the other hand, Gujarat is the focus of Navratri celebrations with all –night- long dancing and festivities. “Garba” is a devotional dance form that derives from the folklore of Lord Krishna singing and dancing with the gopis using “dandiya” or slim wooden sticks. The Gujaratis are quite renowned for these dances.
As time advances, the festival has seen some major changes and there are now well-choreographed dance performances, high-end acoustics and people dressed in ready-made costumes.