Navratri 2023: What is the Hindu festival about and how is it celebrated?

In honour of the deity Durga, the nine-day celebration is observed with colourful rituals and dances

Women wearing traditional attire dance in formation for the garba, the traditional dance of Gujarat state, ahead of the Hindu festival of Navratri, in Ahmedabad, India. AP

A woman gives finishing touches to dolls arranged in the theme of 'Ramayana', the ancient Indian epic, and displayed at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath gallery as part of the Navratri festival in Bangalore. EPA

Dolls displayed at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath gallery as part of the Navratri festival in Bangalore. EPA

Hindus over the world will celebrate the annual Navratri festival or Durga puja, that worships the power of women and the victory of good over evil. EPA

A vendor arranges idols representing deities and characters from Hindu mythology at a stall, during Navratri in Chennai. AFP

A woman picks up an idol used as a decoration ahead of Navratri in Chennai. AFP

A vendor selling idols in Chennai. AFP

A shopkeeper displays idols representing deities and characters from Hindu mythology in Chennai. AFP

Hindu devotees pray outside the Kali Temple during the Navratri festival in Jammu, India. AP

Folk dancers from the Panghat Group of Performing Arts during a dress rehearsal for an event to mark Navratri. AFP

Nepalese army soldiers fire a cannon during an event to celebrate Fulpati, the seventh day of Navratri, in Tundhikhel, Kathmandu. Reuters

People throng a market ahead of Navratri in Ahmedabad, India. AP

The Hindu festival of Navratri, or nine nights, will begin on September 26. AP

An artisan gives final touches to a clay idol of the Hindu deity Durga at a workshop in Allahabad. AFP

Navratri predominantly celebrates the Hindu deity Durga. AFP

An artist works on an idol of Durga in Mumbai. AP

A workshop owner checks freshly-dyed Kalawa threads, a traditional sacred orange-yellow thread used in Hindu rituals, ahead of the Navratri festival at Lalgopalganj village, 45km from Allahabad. AFP

A worker dyes a batch of Kalawa threads in Allahabad. AFP

Women wearing traditional attire practise the garba ahead of Navratri in Ahmedabad, India. AP

Women wearing traditional attire twirl as part of the garba, in which participants dance around in circles. AP

The garba is one of the highlights of Navratri. AP

Women in colourful traditional attire take a selfie as they practice the garba. AP

Garba dances are performed around the world, including in the UAE, during Navratri. AP

Participants from an art group rehearse a garba dance in Ahmedabad. AFP

A vendor sells decorative traditional turbans along a street ahead of the Navratri festival in Ahmedabad. AFP

Decorative traditional footwear on sale for Navratri in Ahmedabad. AFP

A vendor arranges decorative traditional turbans ahead of the Navratri festival in Ahmedabad. AFP

A potter arranges traditional earthen oil lamps in an oven at a workshop, ahead of Navratri on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. AFP

Girls dressed as mythological characters arrive to attend rituals to celebrate Navratri, at the Adyapeath temple on the outskirts of Kolkata. Reuters

A girl dressed as a deity is worshipped by devotees during rituals to celebrate Navratri in Kolkata. Reuters

Hindu devotees, dressed up as deities, take part in a religious procession on the grounds of the Durgiana Temple in Amritsar. AFP

An artist dressed as Hindu deity Ram performs the 'Ramlila' along with other actors. EPA

An effigy of demon king Ravana burns during the Dussehra festival celebrations in New Delhi, India. EPA

Devotees immerse an idol of the deity Durga into the Bay of Bengal, on the final day of Navratri or Durga puja, at Palavakkam beach in Chennai, India. EPA

The final day of Navratri or Durga puja is called Vijay Dashami, with vijay meaning 'victory' and dashami meaning 'tenth'. EPA

A vendor selling effigies of the demon King Ravana waits for customers on the eve of Dussehra, the last day of Navratri, in Amritsar. AFP

An artisan gives final touches to the effigy of Ravana in Amritsar. AFP

A devotee performs a ritual in front of the idol of Durga during Navratri and Durga puja celebrations in Ahmedabad. AFP

Devotees carry a clay idol of Durga at a workshop during the Navratri festival in Allahabad. AFP

The festive season is poised to begin in India with Navratri, one of the most important Hindu festivals of the year.

The nine-day festival, which begins on Sunday this year, will be followed by Dussehra, Dhanteras and Diwali, the festival of lights, in November.

What is Navratri?

There are four Navratri festivals annually in the Hindu calendar. However, the sharada or autumn Navratri is the most significant.

Celebrated in honour of the deity Durga, festivities take place across nine days. The name Navratri comes from Sanskrit – nava means nine and ratri is night.

When is Navratri 2023?

The dates for Navratri changes every year, as it falls in Ashvin, the seventh month of the Hindu lunar calendar. Festivities usually begin on the new moon. This year, it begins on Sunday.

Dussehra will fall on October 24 and Diwali is on November 12.

How is Navratri celebrated?

In India, and among Hindu communities around the world, Navratri is celebrated in different ways, but all in honour of Durga, a deity associated with protection, strength, motherhood and destruction. The festival is also a bank holiday in most parts of India.

In eastern India, it's marked by Durga puja, which celebrates the victory of Durga over the demon Mahishasura. Intricate idols of Durga are set up in marquees across various communities where songs and dances are performed across nine days. On the 10th day, the idols are immersed in water, in rivers and lakes, amid dances, feasts and other celebrations.

In South India, Durga is revered as Kali, one of the deity's many avatars.

In North India, Ramlila events are observed, where the story of the deity Ram is enacted as per the Hindu epic Ramayana. Translating to Ram's play from Sanskrit, the age-old performance then culminates in Dussehra, where an effigy of Ravana, the demon king, is burnt, signifying the victory of good over evil.

Both the Ramlila and Durga puja are inscribed in Unesco's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Another highlight of Navratri is the performance of garba, the communal dance that originated in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Groups of people dressed in colourful traditional clothes form circles and dance in co-ordinated movements using dandiyas or sticks. The garba can be quite a spectacle, with dance circles sometimes reaching hundreds of people.

Events in the UAE

Navratri celebrations around the world, including in the UAE, often feature concerts by top artists, with crowds performing the garba in unison.

Navratri Utsav – Dandiya Nights, featuring top Bollywood performers, is being held this year for two nights on October 20 and 21 at Zabeel Park Amphitheatre in Dubai. Tickets, starting at Dh35, are available on platinumlist.net.

Atrangi Navratri is also being held at Time Square in Dubai Sports City from October 13 to 15. Organisers promise garba events as well as performances and a night dedicated to "disco dandiya". Tickets, starting at Dh45 for a single-day pass, are available at 800tickets.com.

A number of restaurants are also serving special navratri menus, including Dhaba Lane, which is offering a nine-dish Navratri thali for Dh45. The menu is available from Sunday until October 24 at the restaurant's branches in Karama, Garhoud, Al Nahda and JLT.

Fine-dining restaurant Punjab Grill is also serving a set menu for Dh150 from Wednesday until October 24, which includes a three-course meal of festive classics. The Navratri set menu is available at the restaurant's Abu Dhabi and Dubai branches.

Pincode, chef Kunal Kapur's Dubai Hills Mall restaurant, has also launched a Navratri Thalil, featuring a selection of pure vegetarian dishes that honour the traditional fasting practices of the festival. Priced at Dh99, the menu will be available all day until October 23.