Navratri is nine nights (that's what Navratri means) of music and dancing. The dancing begins around 9 PM and wraps up between midnight and 1 AM.
Garba dancing at the Rotary Club's Navratri festival.
Navratri is a very public festival, with many, if not most, apartment complexes hosting a place for puja (worship) and dance. Here's a selection of Navratri set-ups between the Rotary venue and our bungalow:
Other parts of India celebrate the same festival in different ways. In West Bengal, it's called "Durga Puja" and is celebrated in a more classical style. Bengalis living in Vapi have an annual cultural festival in association with Durga Puja.
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| Durga and her associates. |
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| A close-up of the middle idol (Durga) slaying the demon. |
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| There is still plenty of dance. The odd colors in these pictures are due to Indians' love of constantly changing colored lights and laser displays. |
The whole festival wraps up on Dussehra, which this year was October 3rd. It's a major holiday in most parts of India. (So I'm only a week late in getting this put together and posted!)
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