— SACRED TIME —

Navaratri and Durga Puja

October 11 · Hinduism · Eastern traditions

Moveable date

Esoteric and historical meaning

Nine nights of the Goddess in her nine forms, culminating in Durga's victory over Mahishasura: the feminine power that the masculine order cannot contain.

Operative mechanics — ritual acts

·Fasting or sattvic diet for nine days
·A form of the Goddess invoked each night
·Ritual dances (garba, dandiya)
·Final immersion of the image in water

Traditional foods

·Vegetarian food without garlic and onion
·Fruit and milk on fasting days

Offerings

·Red flowers, kumkum, coconut
·Nine types of sprouted grain

Taboos to respect

·No meat, alcohol, garlic, and onion
·No hair cutting

Associated symbols

Lion · Trishula · Red · Nine flames