Festivals of India in the month of October

Mahanavami 

Friends, yesterday (23.10.2012) we celebrated the Navami of Durga Puja in West Bengal. It is the 9^th or last day of Navaratri too.Here is some informations about it for you.  

Mahanavami is celebrated on Ashwin Shukla Paksha Navami,the ninth and the final day of Durga  Navratri.On this day,the goddess Durga is worshipped in the form of Aparajita,by offering her sugarcane stalks.Mahishasura Mardhini Puja is also observed on Mahanavami,when the Goddess Durga is decorated and worshipped in the form of Mahishasuramardhini alankaram.

Matangi Dasamahavidya too, is worshipped on Mahanavami as a part of Dasamahavidya pooja in Navratri. Mukteshwari is the Goddess to be worshipped on ninth day of Navratri as part of Saptamatrika and Ashtamatrika puja.As per Hindu beliefs,Durga pooja on Maha Navami is equivalent to the Durga pooja performed on all nine days of Durga Navaratri. Goddess Siddhidatri puja is also performed on Mahanavami day,by the Navadurga Shakteya sampradaaya people. 

Kanya Puja at Navaratri

During Navratri, some devotees of Durga observe a fast and prayers are offered for the protection of health and prosperity. Devotees avoid meat, alcoholic drinks, grains, wheat and onion during this fast. Grains are usually avoided since it is believed that during the period of Navratri and seasonal change, grains attract and absorb lots of negative energies from the surrounding and therefore there is a need to avoid eating anything which are produced from grains for the purification of Navratri to be successful. Navratri is also a period of introspection and purification, and is traditionally an auspicious and religious time for starting new ventures.

Navratri is celebrated in a large number of Indian communities. The mother goddess is said to appear in 9 forms, and each one is worshiped for a day. These nine forms signify various traits that the goddess influences us with. The Devi Mahatmya and other texts invoking the Goddess who vanquished demons are cited. In Bihar, Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar; Kanya Puja is performed, when nine young virgin girls(kumarika),are worshipped,who symbolically represent the nine forms of the goddess Durga.Their feet are washed, kumkumis applied on the forehead and they are feasted and given gifts and new clothes by the worshippers.

Bengali menu of Navami

We, Bengali are celebrated Navami with various foods. In the day of Asthami, we eat vegetarian meal; but, in Navami, thre are many options of non-veg for all. You know, we Bengali are so much foodie! So, we turn any festival to food festival! Mutton, fish, polao, fried rice and various sweets was in our manu of Navami. I will share with you the recipes of special dishes within 2-3 days!

Good bye for now! Have a good day/afternoon/Good evening/night! Namaskar.