Navratri (Sharad and Chaitra)

Both great Navratris begin on Pratipada, the first day of the bright fortnight, and run through Navami. Sharad (autumn) Navratri begins on Ashvin Shukla Pratipada, the day after Mahalaya Amavasya ends the Pitru Paksha, and is followed by Vijayadashami. Chaitra or Vasant (spring) Navratri begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, which is also the Hindu New Year in much of India (Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh), and ends on Ram Navami.

Because the count follows tithis rather than solar days, a Navratri can occasionally have eight or ten days when a tithi is skipped or repeated. The ghatasthapana (installation of the sacred pot) is done on the morning of Pratipada; panchangs usually recommend the first third of the day, with the midday Abhijit muhurat as an alternative. Two lesser 'Gupt' (hidden) Navratris in Magha and Ashadha are kept mainly by tantric practitioners and serious sadhaks.

The scriptural heart of Navratri is the Devi Mahatmya, also known as the Durga Saptashati or Chandi Path: 700 verses in 13 chapters, forming part of the Markandeya Purana. Scholars generally date it to about the middle of the first millennium CE. It tells three episodes. In the first, the Goddess as Yoganidra awakens Vishnu to slay the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. In the second, the gods pool their radiance to form a single resplendent Goddess who defeats the buffalo-demon Mahishasura. In the third, she destroys Shumbha and Nishumbha and their generals Chanda, Munda and Raktabija, and is hailed as Chamunda.

Tradition ties the nine nights to the battle with Mahishasura and the tenth day to her victory. In Bengal, the Krittivasi Ramayana's account of Rama worshipping Durga out of season before his battle with Ravana (the 'akal bodhan') gives autumn Durga Puja its special meaning. Many families also read the Navratri as the Goddess's annual visit to her parents' home, bringing her children with her.

The Devi Kavacham, recited before the Saptashati, names the Navadurga, and each day of Navratri is dedicated to one of them.

Practice varies widely between families and regions; this is a common household pattern.

Fasting is personal and flexible. Some devotees fast all nine days, some only on the first and last days, some take one meal a day. Common rules are: no grains, pulses, onion, garlic, meat or alcohol; rock salt (sendha namak) instead of ordinary salt; and permitted foods such as fruit, milk, curd, potatoes, sweet potato, makhana, sabudana, and flours of kuttu (buckwheat), singhara (water chestnut) and rajgira, with samak (barnyard millet) rice. Many observe celibacy, sleep on the floor, avoid cutting hair and nails, and keep the mind on the Goddess. The elderly, the ill, pregnant women and children are traditionally exempt or keep a lighter fast.

The fifth chapter of the Devi Mahatmya contains the hymn in which the gods bow to the Goddess present in every being as consciousness, intelligence, sleep, hunger, compassion, mother and more. Its most famous line is chanted throughout Navratri.

In Gujarat, nights are given to garba and dandiya raas, danced in circles around a lamp or image of Amba. West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Tripura celebrate Durga Puja from Shashthi to Dashami with grand pandals; Durga Puja in Kolkata was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh families arrange Golu or Bommai Kolu, tiered displays of dolls, and invite neighbours; the last days honour Saraswati and tools (Ayudha Puja). Mysuru's Dasara, celebrated since 1610 according to the state's official Dasara site, culminates in the Jamboo Savari procession of Goddess Chamundeshwari. Telangana's women celebrate Bathukamma with flower stacks. In North India Ramlila is staged nightly, leading to Dussehra; in Jammu and Himachal, pilgrims crowd Vaishno Devi and other Shakti shrines. Chaitra Navratri is quieter, centred on home worship, temple fairs and Ram Navami.

Fasting kitchens turn out sabudana khichdi, kuttu puris, singhare ka halwa, makhana kheer and aloo cooked with rock salt. Kanya puja's puri, black chana and suji halwa are a taste many remember from childhood. In Maharashtra, wearing a set colour each day has become a popular modern custom.

Navratri honours the feminine divine as the power behind all creation, and asks devotees to conquer their own inner demons of anger, greed and pride, as the Goddess conquered Mahishasura. Kanya puja, in particular, invites families to see the divine in every girl child, a meaning that many now carry into support for girls' education and dignity.