India is a land rich in tradition and
culture, vibrant festivals and energetic celebrations. Navratri, a Sanskrit
word literally meaning “Nine Nights”, is an important Hindu festival of worship
and dance, celebrating the victory of good over evil. During each of these nine
nights, nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped. Every day, she assumes a
new avatar, a new look, and a new duty.
Since each day is dedicated to a particular
form of Goddess Durga, each day has a different colour attached to it. Every
colour represents a particular quality of the Goddess and so devotees wear
clothes and decorate their idols in the stipulated colour, corresponding to the
colour of the Devi’s garments.
As with all festivals, it is important
to know the significance of everything we do. We provide you with a list of
nine colours of Navratri in 2015, as well as their significance.
Day 1 – Shailputri
Goddess Durga is worshipped as Shailputri.
‘Shail’ means mountains and ‘Putri’ stands for daughter. She rides on a bull
with a ‘trishul’ in her hand, representing ‘Action’. As per tradition, people
wear red on this day and offer ghee
to the goddess. Being vibrant and rich, donning red is a great way to get the
excitement amped up for the days to follow.
Day 2– Brahmacharini
Signifying care, love and loyalty,
Goddess Durga wears royalblue in the
form of Goddess Brahmacharini. She carries a rosary and ‘khumba’ in her hand
and wears ornaments made from the sacred beads of ‘Rudraksha’. The name of the
goddess translates to ‘strict piousness,’ so people wear deep blue garments as
per religion and offer sugar.
Day 3– Chandraghanta
Known for peace and tranquillity,
Goddess Chandraghanta is worshipped on the 3rd day. She has three
eyes and 10 hands, with a half circular moon on her forehead. In order to
embody the beauty of the moon, people wear golden
yellow and offer milk sweets to the goddess.
Day 4– Kushmanda
On this day, Goddess Kushmanda is
worshipped on a tiger. She stands for the universe, which is depicted by the
devotees wearing green. Malpua
sweets are offered.
Day 5– Skanda
Mata
Maa Skanda, is called the ocean of
wisdom. She sits with her son in her lap, which is why she is known as ‘Maa’ or
mother. It is traditional to wear grey,
a soothing colour like the still ocean.
Day 6– Katyayani
Goddess Durga appears in her sixth
form and is known to fulfil the desire of unmarried girls for a good husband.
Goddess Katyayani is revered and single girls observe fasting to please her. Orange, being an auspicious colour in
Hinduism, is traditionally worn on this day and honey is offered.
Day 7– Kaalratri
Maa Kaalratri is known as the
destroyer of ignorance and darkness. Adorned in white, she brings light to the lives of her devotees. Devotees wear
white in the hope of getting the obstacles in their lives removed.
Day 8– Mahagauri
On the 8th day of Navratri,
people worship the Goddess Gauri. Embodying compassion and harmony, she holds a
drum in one hand and a trident in the other. Being extremely beautiful, pink is worn to represent her calmness
and beauty.
Day 9– Siddhidatri
Goddess Siddhidatri is worshipped on
the last day of Navratri, who is believed to be the goddess of power. Devotees
wear sky blue on the last day of the
festival for the Goddess who stands on a lotus in the water.
Wearing the Navratri colours enhances
one’s participation in the celebrations and brings about a feeling of oneness.
The spirit of Navratri inculcates unity and togetherness in people, giving them
a source of shared joy and happiness.
You can explore more festive jewellery options under JewelOnline at www.eves24.com or call us on +91 84509 97666 to set up an appointment to visit our studio.
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