Festival Navratri Through The Years: Let’s Celebrate Navratri

Ah, Navratri—just hearing the word brings back memories of colorful celebrations, the joy of enacting the Ram-Leela, and the smell of delicious festive treats.

Whether it’s dancing through the night in a swirl of bright lehengas or gathering with family for special prayers, Navratri is a time when joy fills the air and hearts are full.

Join me as I take a walk down memory lane and revisit the beautiful moments that made Navratri so special as a kid, and how we now try to create those same memories for our children.

Every year during Navratri, my mornings on the eighth and ninth days started with a knock on the door at 6 a.m., thanks to our ever-loving neighbors. They had to get their Kanya Puja done before heading to work, so off I went, barely awake but excited!

Armed with a small steel plate, I joined a group of girls as we went house-hopping throughout the neighborhood!!

By late afternoon, my plate would be overflowing with poori, halwa, chhole—and of course, cash! Most of the time, it was Rs. 10, occasionally Rs. 20, and every once in a while, we would hit the jackpot with a Rs. 50 note. That was a real “wow” moment!

I made quick trips back home to empty my plate, nibble on some treats, and stash away the money safely. I also had to join the pooja at my own house before heading back out for more!

The best part was wandering the streets, laughing and chatting with friends, without a care in the world.

By the time I got home in the evening, my brother usually ate most of the pooris and halwa I brought back—but that didn’t bother me much. After all, I had already had my fill!

The ninth day was a little calmer, but those two days of fun, laughter, and free-spirited roaming were pure joy!

As we grew older, Kanya Puja meant hosting the pooja at our place, scrambling to gather five little girls from the neighborhood.

Growing up also meant I fasted with my parents till the pooja was done! By the time we all sat down to eat, we were famished. I still remember that day fondly, and this is one of my favorite memories.

Now that I am a mom, I am the host, which means I do all the planning, purchasing, and cooking. Ahem! Well, not all the cooking, hubby takes care of the pooris and halwa! That is teamwork!!

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The Navratri culminated with Dussehra celebrations on the tenth day. Most times, we would head to the local park/open grounds where huge figurines of Ravana, Kumbhakaran, and Meghnath were put up.

Many people turned up to watch the burning effigies and to revel in the festivities. This was usually preceded by a small Ram-Leela skit where some scenes from the Ramayana were depicted, leading up to the death of Ravana.

As an adult living in India before my marriage, it became a little difficult to navigate the roads during Dussehra. There would be huge effigies of the Ravana family on the big intersection near our house, and all the roads leading to and from were blocked.

Some years we would walk down and manage to get a glimpse, while other times we would go to the rooftop and catch the festivities.

It’s not as easy to watch the burning of effigies now. Where we used to live previously, there were no separate Dussehra celebrations.

It was only last year, in 2023, when I got to see Dussehra celebrations with our children for the first time here in the US. It was a mix of nostalgia, relief, and excitement as we watched the Ravana effigy go up in flames.

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For me, every year, the highlight of the Navratri celebrations was getting to see the Ram-Leela at the various Arts venues in New Delhi.

Although we didn’t get to see the Ram-Leela every year, the memory of watching the story of Ramayana being enacted in front of you left quite an impression.

To this day, I look forward to watching Ram Leela together with my kids and husband performed by the local theaters. The music, story, and message of the play always left me spellbound.

Our children ask us every year to take them to the Ram-Leela presentation, which I consider a parenting win in my book!

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If any of you have done this, you know how fun it is to dress up as part of the monkey army and waive your gada (mace) at everyone else while yelling ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

The local market would be flooded with plastic gada and bows and arrows, which we all ended up convincing our parents to get us.

This was often accompanied by a homemade Ravana that some kids in the neighborhood had made.

The Ravana effigy was not perfect by any means, but we were not worried about that. What mattered was that everyone got together in the local park, burnt the effigy together, and shared the celebrations!

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Everyone uniquely celebrates Navratri. While some people fast all nine days, others devour delicious vegetarian food. My parents usually fasted till the Ashtami pooja on the eighth day of Navratri. We kids would fast for two days.

That, though, did not stop us from enjoying the yummy fast food (pun not intended) that was prepared daily. Be it singhare ke atte ki poori, kootu ke chawal ki kheer, and ras wale aloo ki sabji, we were there sitting alongside our parents, enjoying the delicious treats.

All in all, Navratri was such a fun time as a kid. We imbibed all the stories and traditions just by watching our parents do them year after year.

The festival season began with Navratri and ended with Diwali. Well, not really. There was Bhai Dooj and Karwachauth as well, but they didn’t hold the same level of enthusiasm for us as the Navratri and Dussehra celebrations.

How did you celebrate the Navratris growing up? Share in the comments!

Here’s hoping everyone has a blessed Navratri!