So what is Navratri and what is it’s significance?
Navratri literally means nine nights and the tenth day is called Vijayadashami (means victory on the 10th day). The mother goddess is worshiped in her various forms over the nine days. The first three days for the form Durga – the destroyer of evils and granter of boons; the second three days for Lakshmi – the giver of wealth; and the last three days for Saraswathi – the goddess of wisdom and knowledge.
Various stories and traditions add to the richness of this festival celebrated across India in different ways. In Tamil Nadu, Navratri is celebrated in many homes through the colorful tradition of the Golu or kolu (golu means courtyard). This is a display of dolls arranged in steps – number of steps should be odd (3, 5, 7, 9 and so on). The dolls are arranged in a hierarchy across the steps beginning with the kalasam and dolls of goddesses on the top step to reptiles, fish, etc in the bottom step (depending on the dolls people have with them). The display is kept for the nine days of Navratri and on the 10th day, any one doll is symbolically laid down to sleep to indicate that Navratri has ended for the year.
Here is one look at my golu this year.
This post goes towards ABC Wednesday’s letter K
looks very elaborate
ROG, ABCW
Lovely! This is such a a beautiful kolu. Wishing you a happy Vijayadashmi! Thanks for visiting my blog earlier.