Navratri - Nine Nights

Right now India--or at least parts of it--is celebrating the Navratri or "Nine Nights" festival. The family we are staying with celebrates in the South Indian style, and as such has a decorated staircase called a "golu" inside the house, covered in shimmering fabric and colorful idols.

If I try to explain what it all means I will inevitably get something important wrong, but here is some of what was told to me by the hostess, mother, and grandmother living in this house, and what Navratri means for them:

The staircase itself represents the different levels of what basically translates to the food chain--the lowest step for plants, then insects, other animals, monkeys, and finally humans.

There are many many different idols, and I only recognize a handful. 

This is Hanuman, the monkey god, who represents victory and triumphing over evil. There is a saying that to escape evil just hold on to his tail and he will carry you away.

There is also Krishna, who I mainly know because he is blue.

There is also this incredible one I had to look up because it is so fascinating:

This is Kamadhenu, the mother of all cows. She came from the churning of the cosmic ocean, as one does, and is a giver of plenty. 

Navratri itself is largely about celebrating women and the goddesses. The nine nights are divided into three sets of three. The first worship the goddess of courage, who is so brave she rides on a lion.

Next Lakshmi is worshipped, the goddess of wealth.

Finally, the goddess of knowledge is worshipped. On the final day(s?) the women in this house will give up the tools of something they love and hope to excel in--for example the hostess who is an amazing singer will not sing that day, as a sacrifice of sorts for the goddess. The next day they will take it up again, and it is said that what you do on that day will come back to you tenfold. 

During the nine nights people go around to eachother's houses (mainly children and women, from what I can tell). In my mind it is a little like a combination of Christmas and Halloween in the sense that you bring out these same decorations and stairs every year and set them up in the house and then go around to other houses for treat.

About 30 people came to the house yesterday to see the golu (our hostess says about 80 have come in total) and visit. They are given a coconut, three powders to mark their throat and foreheads, and a small gift. That means our hosts had to have 80 coconuts ready!!

While there, anyone who can sing or dance is encouraged to perform. 

Here is a short YouTube I took of two of the children singing a song for everyone:

http://youtu.be/zFeMpc3ug9g

I am glad we were here to see it. It was nice to be surrounded by women, talking and sharing and praising eachother, even if I couldn't understand the words.

In the end what more could you ask for your daughters than knowledge, wealth, and bravery.

I hope some of that bravery rubs off on me.