Navratri is a festival of hindus...

Navratri - Festival of Nine Nights

Navratri is a festival celebrated with devotion, love and fervour all over India. It is also known as Navratras. Navratri basically means "Nine Nights" ("Nav" meaning nine and "Ratri" meaning nights). This festival is celebrated for nine nights twice every year and may be held for a day more or a day less.

Navratri is celebrated twice in a year :

	First Navratri	are celebrated during the first nine days of the bright two-week period of Shukla Paksha of the lunar month of Ashwin, corresponding to the month of October.
	Second Navratri	are celebrated during the first nine days of the bright two-week period of Shukla Paksha of the lunar month of Chaitra, corresponding to mid-March to mid-April.

Ramnavami

Ramnavmi is enthusiastically celebrated all over India to mark the birthday of Lord Rama, the celebrated hero of the famous epic, the Ramayana, on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra. Temples are decorated, religious discourses are held and the Ramayana is recited for ten days. People gather in thousands on the banks of the sacred river Saryu for a dip. People sing devotional songs in praise of Rama and rock images of him in cradles to celebrate his birth. Rathyatras or chariot processions of Rama, his wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman, are taken out from many temples.

Significance of 9 Nights

1st - 3rd day	There is a tradition of sowing barley seeds on the first day of the Navratri. A small bed of mud is prepared in a little container and barley seeds are sown in it. This is placed in the Puja room and cared for during the fasting period. At the end of the fast the shoots reach a height of 3-5 inches. These are pulled out and given to devotees as form of blessings.
4th - 6th day	During these days, Lakshmi Goddess, the Goddess of peace and prosperity is worshipped.On the fifth day, that is, Lalita Panchami books are gathered, lamp is lighted to invoke Saraswati.
7th - 8th day	These final days belong to Saraswati Goddess who is worshipped to acquire the spiritual knowledge. This in turn will free us from all earthly bondage. But on the 8th day of this colourful festival, yagna (holy fire) is performed.
Mahanavami	The eighth and ninth day, Yagna (sacrifice offered to the fire) is performed to honour heavenly Goddess and bid her farewell. The festival of Navratri culminates in Mahanavami. On this day Kanya Puja is performed. Nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshiped. Next>>