Celebrated across India and by Hindus all around the world, Navratri brings communities together to celebrate and connect through a series of rituals, prayers and even dance! Being one of the most important Hindu celebrations, it has taken West London by storm as people are seen gathering as the celebration slowly comes to an end.
You may, however, share a common thought among other readers:
What exactly is ‘Navratri’?
Navratri derives from the Sanskrit word for ‘Nine Nights’ and is a celebration observed in honour of the Hindu Goddess ‘Durga’. These nine nights fell between the 15th Oct to 23rd Oct this year (2023) but changes every year according to the Hindu calendar which is based on the alignment of stars and planets. This celebration illustrates the elimination of any evil force within the world and the achievement of good over evil. Throughout the nine nights, Hindus across the globe take part in celebrating and giving thanks to the nine different forms of the Goddess Durga (Shailputri, Bhramacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Kathyayini, Kaalratri, Mahagauri & Siddhidatri), with each day representing one of her different forms and the characteristics that come with them.
During these nine nights, Hindus vary in how they may wish to celebrate. The most common way is observing a fast where they strictly only consume certain food. Coming from a multi-religious background, our family tends to celebrate by consuming only vegetarian food for the duration of the nine days. This means no consumption of meat of any sort (chicken, mutton, fish etc.), no egg and no alcohol. Performing special prayers, dancing folk dances such as ‘Garba’, visiting temples and reading scriptures according to the Goddess Durga are some of the many practices through-out the nine nights with the tenth day being a special day called “Dussehra”.
So how was this celebration celebrated through-out West London?
After having a rough 2 years of on-and-off lockdown & ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the celebrations of Navratri were brought back to the heart of the Hindu communities in West London through an annual ten day folk dance celebration known as “Garba” or “Dandiya Raas” being held as events in Brentford, Harrow, Wembley and more.
West London is an area where most HIndus reside so celebrations within their homes are just as important as going out to dance Garba. It is believed that dancing Garba is important as worshipping the Goddess through this way is a way of worshipping womanhood and honours the different nine forms of mother deity. It is performed in a circle around a big lamp or “Shakti Statue”. With the highly populated Hindu areas within London, it is not possible to not see at least one firework light up the sky on Dussehra.
During these celebrations, I had asked a person their opinion on why this festival is so important to them and what they enjoy most about it:
“Navratri is important to me because, one: it is religious, two: it gives me peace when I celebrate it, it’s kind of a meditation, three: i just feel good myself that i am able to pray everyday as it takes away any negative thoughts within me, makes me more calm and motivates me to keep myself healthy. What I enjoy most about it is that the family comes together to pray and have a meal together and there is peace within the house during that time, lots of calmness, I enjoy that the most.” – Suresh, age 48
Navratri does, indeed, bring peace amongst the Hindu community as it is a time to celebrate the good in life and to avoid any forms of evil that may be present around you. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Navratri this year and has everlasting happiness in the celebrations yet to come.
