Navratri is one of the principal Vadodara festivals that is celebrated with great joy and revelry all across the Gujarat city. The festival is one of the major festivals of the Indian subcontinent and is lionized with a lot of pomp and grandeur and is testimony to the quintessential Vadodara culture.
Navratri or Garba is the most important festival in the state of Gujarat. Celebrated in the month of October, this festival commences with the energetic performance of the energetic Garba or Ras dance. Another aspect of this traditional festival is that this is one time of the year when people are out in the streets till the wee hours of the morning. In fact, the entire city is illuminated during the celebrations of this festival.
The nine day long celebrations of Navratri or Dassehra holds a special place in Gujarati society. This is a festival of color, lights and jubilation. During this festival, the inhabitants of Vadodara dance the archetypal ras in garba in sync to the catchy bucolic tunes. The revered Goddess Durga or Shakti is worshiped during this festival. In fact, the term garba connotes the worship of the mother and the process of human birth and creation. The festival commences during the month of October and November when the local people who are devout aficionados of the Goddess fast during the day and dance energetically at night. On the ninth day, the ceremony culminates with the nightlong garba dance where the men and women dance with equal fervor and enthusiasm to the traditional melody. Music, food and colorful carnivals where handicrafts are sold are the other highlights of this festival. Another interesting aspect of the garba ceremony is that the festival's basic philosophy that marks the communion of varying religious faiths. While the church supports procreation, the garba celebrates the same. This indirectly provides the basic truth that all religions converge at one point of infinite faith, justice and truth.
Last Updated on: 8/05/2013
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