Navratri festival of Gujarat is very special for the people there. Navratri festival is celebrated with great pomp in Gujarat. Meaning of Navratri Navratri is a Sanskrit word, which means ‘time of nine nights’. During these nine nights and ten days, Shakti/Goddess is worshipped. In Gujarat, people worship Ambe Maa and sing and dance for nine nights, and also play Garba and Dandiya. Dandiya night and Garba are also organized at many places in Gujarat. There are also stalls of various dishes and shopping items. The pandals set up in Gujarat during Navratri are something unique. Let us know about all this in detail.
Significance Of Navratri In Gujarat
In Gujarat, the devotion of Ambe Maa is very important, therefore, the festival of Navratri is very important for the people of Gujarat. The importance of Navratri is associated with the devotion and worship of Goddess Ambe. It is believed that Maa Ambe exists in many forms and her different forms are worshipped. Maa Ambe is known as the destroyer of demons. Maa Ambe or Goddess Durga is the form of Shiva’s wife Parvati. It is said that Mother Parvati had taken various incarnations of goddesses and their forms are worshipped in Navratri. In Navratri, devotees install the idol of Maa Ambe in their homes and worship and fast for nine days.
How Navratri Festival Is Celebrated In Gujarat
India is a country of diverse culture, languages and customs. Along with the variation in languages in all the states, diversity and variation is also seen in the festivals. Similarly, Navratri festival is also celebrated differently in different states like Durga Puja in Bengal, and in Gujarat, the idol of Maa Ambe is installed along with Garbo (a kind of pot with many holes). In Gujarat, along with rural areas, Ambe Maa Pandals are also organized in cities.
Garba and Dandiya are organized in the pandals. These pandals are decorated with a lot of colorful lights. People dress up in colorful clothes in the pandals and participate in the Garba of Maa Ambe in the pandal. Folk music is played in the pandal and the whole atmosphere reverberates with the sound of dandiya. The atmosphere becomes absolutely charming. There are also competitions of decoration and dance in such pandals and groups.
Garba And Dandiya Dance In Navratri
There is no fun in Gujarat if there is no Garba and Dandiya on the day of Navratri. Gujarat is known for its Dandiya and Garba dance and their competitions which are organized during Navratri. The sight of this traditional dance is very beautiful in the huge pandals of Maa Ambe. The dance performed with beautifully decorated sticks adds a special charm to the pandals of Gujarat. Garba is a dance performed by moving the hands and feet in one move and is performed by moving around the idol of the living mother or Garba, it looks very attractive to watch.
Navratri Traditional Dishes
If you are in Gujarat, do not forget to enjoy the delicious traditional food there. Navratri festival in Gujarat is incomplete without enjoying the delicious dishes there. Although most people fast during Navratri, you can enjoy the dishes made according to the fast even during the fast like “Samak Rice Kheer”, “Sabudana Khichdi” and “Singhara Ke Aate Ki Puri” etc. Apart from this, do try the Indian sweets which are made according to the fast.
Shopping In Navratri
Do not forget to shop in the markets during Navratri in Gujarat. The markets of Gujarat also become very vibrant during Navratri. Traditional items like colorful Chaniya Choli which is the traditional dress of women during Navratri, beautiful Dandiya sticks, ornate jewelry, decorative items and handlooms are all available at one place in the markets of Gujarat during Navratri. Do not forget to buy Gujarat’s famous Tai and Dye Dupatta, Saree and Ghagra Choli.
Navratri festival in Gujarat can be a different and unique experience for those who go there. The night long Garba and Dandiya dance celebration, shopping in Bhajaro along with Gujarati traditional cuisine will be a new experience.
So, you must experience Navratri festival in Gujarat at least once in your life.
Keep follow us on our official website of ReviewIndia91.
