The festival Durga Navratri (nine nights) is celebrated during the new moon of Ashwin (September / October). The beginning of summer and winter are two very important junctions of climatic and astral influences. The bodies and spirits undergo considerable change due to the changes in nature and are also times consecrated to the worship of the Mother. Durga Puja is undoubtedly an important spiritual event for those who follow a spiritual path.
The Indian craftsmen are accustomed to create in honor of this party a new image of Durga, which will be hosted by a family in the village. For nine days, the family will take care of the Goddess, sewing clothes for her, stringing flower necklaces, nourishing it and making offers and gifts, cooking for her.
We can set up an altar with the image of Durga, and next Khali, Saraswati and Lakshmi, and prepare nine candles to be lit ritually every night. We grace the altar with a red cloth, ribbons flowers, mirrors, and adds all that our creativity will suggest in these nine days. Burn insenso, Durga particularly like Sandals and prepare our offers: curdled milk, honey, sugar, three cups of madhuparka (obtained by mixing honey, curds, ghee and sugar), sesame oil, ghee (clarified butter), water coconut, sea water or rain water, betel leaves or banana, a dozen bananas attached to all branch pancha sasha (obtained by mixing rice, green mung beans, sesame, beans blacks, millet or corn), coconuts.
Even for those who are unfamiliar with Indian cuisine, prepare ghee and madhuparka is not difficult , what is important is the time that we are devoting to the preparation of food for the offering, not the food itself. Preparing us, rather than simply buying the deals, we dedicate time and energy to the Goddess that subtract us and our activities. This is the greatest gift we can give to the Goddess, but it is nothing if we think of how much of its energy she gives us every day.
The celebration lasts for nine days in honor of the nine manifestations of Durga .
The celebration of Navratri takes place in a series of three days dedicated to the worship of the three different aspects of the Supreme Goddess symbol of the stages of man's evolution from the condition of Jiva (state of individuality ) the condition of Shiva (state of God-realization):
- first to third day we celebrate the appearance of the goddess Khali consort of Shiva. Are the days of purification, during which you leave everything all that is not wanted in our way, our determination is strengthened in eradicating the negative trends of our spirit.
- from fourth to sixth day through the worship of Lakshmi wife Lord Vishnu will acquire positive qualities such inexhaustible divine wealth, love, kindness, devotion, patience, perseverance, love trying to develop our internal through the invocation of the Goddess.
- from seventh to ninth day are devoted to the worship of Saraswati , the consort Brahma. She grants knowledge of the Supreme, we give the total knowledge of the Self, the Divine guidance on the most appropriate way to use our gifts in the most effective and determined.
- the tenth day - Vijaya Dashami - represents the triumph of the individual awakening to the realization Self through the descent of knowledge by the grace of Saraswati. This day celebrates the victory, the realization of the purpose of the recognition of our eternal identity with the Supreme Spirit the victory "of good over evil", by Durga, who defeated the demon Mahishasur. On the tenth day, vijayadashami, celebrates the victory of Shree Ram on the demon Ravana, the return of the Dharma and the release of Sita, the beautiful wife. vijayadashami also celebrates the inner transformation that leads to spiritual progress.
On the tenth day, the image of the goddess Durga is conducted ritual on the banks of a river or lake, and there left to water. It is deeply moving to see how the family, who took care of the Goddess, cries when she comes out of their house and when it disappears from the waters of the river. For nine days it was one of them, slept and ate with them, listened to their problems, lived their daily lives, laughed and cried with them.
It celebrates the victory of Durga over Mahishasura, the demon buffalo head and the victory of Shree Ram on the demon Ravana!
The colossal effigies of the three demons of the Ramayana , Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna, padded material flammable and explosive are erected and the feast ends when those affected by the arrow shot by Rama, and catch fire burn until reduced to ashes .
For Hindus, the Navaratri is one of the most important holidays of the year. Its name literally means nine nights, exactly its duration. It is celebrated with great devotion throughout India and around the world, and is a festival that focuses on all of the feminine energy. In fact celebrates the Mother Goddess Devi, energy called Shakti. And it does so with a traditional dance called like it. In sacred Hindu scriptures like the Puranas and the Dharma-shastras are mentioned two parties called Navaratri: but the first, which takes place in spring, now is not practiced.
On the contrary, the autumn, which is celebrated with the arrival of the new moon of the lunar month of Ashvina, is deeply felt. Species in the Indian state of Gujarat, particularly in the city of Vadodara: because this is considered the capital of like it, a traditional dance closely linked to its celebration of Navaratri. It is a collective dance involving hundreds of women, dancing in concentric circles moving alternately counterclockwise and clockwise, with a steady pace, around the image of a mother goddess. Alternatively, this movement can play around a symbolic representation of his creative energy, as it can be a lighted lantern or, more often, a terracotta pot.
The gracefully, exactly. All women clap their hands and sing, and are dressed in the colorful costumes called Chaniya choli, three pieces composed by choli, matched with Chaniya, the long tunic, and the veil, the dupatta. The traditional costumes of the dancers is red, pink, yellow, orange, and is adorned with large colored mirrors. Not missing several necklaces, bracelets, earrings and waist straps. Next to like it, typical of Vadodara is also another traditional dance originally reserved for men only, the dandiya raas, during which are used chopsticks, colorful dandiyas.
The state of Gujarat has a rich artistic tradition, many traditional songs and dances, and numerous theater companies. For this, there is no better place to attend the celebrations of Navratri. That, in 2014, is celebrated from September 25 to October 3. The Mother Goddess can come in many forms and each of them are dedicated three days. The first is dedicated to Durga, which is the expression of divine power, and energy can destroy the demons of adharma. Within three days of Lakshmi is worshiped, expression of the light that dispels ignorance, prosperity and generosity.
The last three days, however, are dedicated to the worship of Saraswati, the symbol of pure knowledge and art. The festival lasts nine nights, but there is also a tenth day, known as dussehra, or that which dissolves the ten faults or errors, or as the tenth day of victory, during which effigies of Devi terracotta are immersed in water.
For Hindus Navaratri marks every time a new beginning, because it is a time of purification. Great protagonists of Navaratri are women of all ages, revered and respected as the purest expression of the Devi. In many houses in Vadodara is the women of each family are invited to sit in the house and, symbolically, are worshiped as just like the Devi. Complete with offerings of food, new clothes or dances like the inevitable like it. But in Vadodara there are two events that you can attend celebrations less intimate and feature large numbers, and that often attend even the Bollywood celebrities.
The first is the show like it's organized by United Way, attended by 30 thousand people every night, with collection donated to charity. It takes place in Navlakhi Ground in Rajmahal Road. Even bigger, though perhaps less spectacular, like it is the Maa Shakti, able to record even 40 thousand participants on the land of Gujarat Housing Board Ground, in the district of Subhanpura.
The Indian food is popular in Italy, thanks to the tandoori specialties, namely meat and fish cooked in traditional Indian oven. Although the Indian cuisine varies from region to region, at the table never fail rice, beans and unleavened bread. In addition to various sauces, often. Founded in the eighteenth century as the capital of the kingdom of Baroda now with 1.3 million inhabitants Vadodara is the third largest city of Gujarat for the population. Among its main attractions is the Laxmi Vilas Palace, a luxurious complex of buildings in the Indo-Saracenic style, built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in the late nineteenth century. Big four times times Buckingham Palace, the Lakshmi Vilas Palace is now a hotel to stay in the lap of luxury and also houses the museum "Maharaja Fateh Singh."
The festival of lights is not just a party with decorations and illuminations. Its also a festival that comes complete with mouth watering delicacies prepared specially for the event. Large amounts of sweets used to be ready for distribution to the masses. In recent times, people mostly taken from obtaining them well known, while others prefer to do at home.
Diwali sweets take on a different meaning when it is done at home especially as a team event with all the women of the house to work towards an elaborate dish of homemade sweets and the most popular of which are found in abundance and sold at discounted prices. The shops of traditional Indian repute are often preferred for Diwali sweets.
In recent times, several online stores have started catering to the needs of a wide range of customers. With the emergence and success of online mart, buy Diwali sweets online, it is a very family attended trend. The best known Diwali sweets include rasgullas, Gulab jamun, Kaju Katlis and a host of other sweets made of milk and flour and embellished with resins and nuts. For the festive occasion of Diwali, which are arranged in boxes of special desserts and made presentable with embellishments.
The art of gifting is an integral part of Diwali and you can add novelty by changing the type of paper, type of coverage and presentation of genuine messages. What better way to make Diwali special to cook a delicious dish of sweets for Diwali is a very special occasion
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