Navratri

Navratri, the festival of nine nights is dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine forms. According to the Hindu calendar, Navratri begins from the first day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin which usually coincides with the end of the rainy season.
The nine days have great religious significance as Goddess.The festival is celebrated with true devotion and purity all over the country.

Significance of 9 Nights

1st - 3rd day There is a tradition of sowing barley seeds on the first day of the Navratri. A small bed of mud is prepared in a little container and barley seeds are sown in it. This is placed in the Puja room and cared for during the fasting period. At the end of the fast the shoots reach a height of 3-5 inches. These are pulled out and given to devotees as form of blessings. 4th - 6th day During these days, Lakshmi Goddess, the Goddess of peace and prosperity is worshipped.On the fifth day, that is, Lalita Panchami books are gathered, lamp is lighted to invoke Saraswati. 7th - 8th day These final days belong to Saraswati Goddess who is worshipped to acquire the spiritual knowledge. This in turn will free us from all earthly bondage. But on the 8th day of this colourful festival, yagna (holy fire) is performed. Mahanavami The eighth and ninth day, Yagna (sacrifice offered to the fire) is performed to honour heavenly Goddess and bid her farewell. The festival of Navratri culminates in Mahanavami. On this day Kanya Puja is performed. Nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshiped.