Celebrate Navratri in your apartment
The time of celebrating dance, music, colour, holiness, religion and unity is here to sprinkle happiness all over your home. The nine days and ten nights celebration of Hindu deity Shakti, is knocking on your doorstep. During the nine days of Navratri, nine forms of goddess Durga are worshipped. This is an auspicious part of the year, when Hindus all over India celebrate Navratri with devotion, love and fervor.
Significance of Navratri:
Behind the celebration of every festival, there will be a reason and significance. Navratri is celebrated in the month of October every year. The festival celebrates the worship of three Goddess, Durga (for health), Lakshmi (for wealth) and Saraswati (for knowledge). The first three days signifies, destroying all our impurities by goddess Durga, in her another form “kali”. Next three days, the goddess Lakshmi is worshipped as a mother of giving inexhaustible wealth. And in the final three days, goddess Saraswati is worshipped for wisdom and success.
Here are a few ways to celebrate Navratri in your apartment;
Performing Vidhi and Agni Pooja
Performing Vidhi and Agni Pooja is the main element of Navratri. Keep an idol of goddess in your apartment and perform yajnas/homas/pooja, also decorate the idol with flower garlands. As this is a festival of light and purity, light your whole apartment with diyas and decorate with flowers. Make sure that all your family members and friends are present for the each of the poojas, as this festival also signifies unity and love. To perform pooja, you can also invite your neighbours in
the apartment.
Decorate with lights, diyas, and flowers
Welcome Navratri by decorating your apartment with lights, flowers and most importantly, diyas as diyas symbolizes hope and positive energy. You can get designer diyas and traditional diyas to light up the entrance and windows of your apartment. Decorate the idol of goddess Durga with flowers and flower garlands. You can also have Rangoli done in the entrance of your apartment. It is thought to bring good luck and is the traditional way of decoration during festivals.
Food, music and dance
Food is considered the most important part of any festival. After colours, it’s the food which makes the festival more tasty and memorable. Cook some delicious meals specially for Navratri such as sweets and snacks, and invite your friends and neighbours. Also you can distribute Bhog/Prasad, a special vegetarian dish, among family, friends, relatives and neighbours.
Music and dance are a vital part of any festival as they double the happiness. You can arrange dance and music programme by inviting all the apartment members during the nine days of Navratri celebrations. Ensure you are not being a nuisance by keeping the music volume minimal.
Exchange of gifts and greetings
This is the festival where you welcome everyone, and celebrate with unity and peace. Exchange of gifts and blessings are the key factors of any festival. It is a tradition that whoever visits your house during Navratri, should not go back empty hand. A packet of sweets, dry fruits, chocolate or flowers are a good gesture of welcoming guests.
Ensure safety
As this festival involves light and fire, children and pets should be taken care of in a priority basis.
Navratri brings life and joy, so decorate your apartment, invite friends, spread love and happiness and enjoy all the nine days of the festival.
