Navratri!

Navratri, meaning "Nine Nights", is a Hindu festival worshiping the Goddess Durga, who represents strength and power. It is celebrated in different ways by different people, some go to the temple for each of the nine days, some fast, and some even refrain from speaking completely! But the most common celebration is the traditional Garba from the state of Gujarat. Garba is a specific style of dance, performed by many people all at the same time. The changing music indicates which dance pattern is to start, and in which direction the large circles of men and women should rotate. Many people take this dance very seriously, going to daily classes for a full month before the festival begins. It is also a time for the men and women (mostly between 20 and 30 years old) to dress up in beautiful traditional outfits, and impress their friends. Girls wear a dress called a Ghagra Choli, which is a floor length skirt and matching cropped top, as well as a chunni, a long scarf draped over the shoulder. All three parts of the outfit are heavily decorated with beads and mirrors. In addition, one must wear anklets, bangles, shining necklaces and earrings, as well as jewelry worn in the hair and around the waist. Men are also very much interested in dressing up to the fullest, wearing puffy salwar pants, mirrored vests, turbans, and even earrings! Some girls, instead of buying a Ghagra Choli, rent 9 different dresses to wear a new style every night of the festival! My host mom said that this festival was not here in Indore (as it is not a tradition in the state of Madhya Pradesh) when she was my age, and she was excited for me to participate in it. She bought me a beautiful dress, and lent me her jewels to wear! It was so fun just getting dressed up! She was taking photos of me, and I said "Neeta, I feel like I am going to Prom again!" On Saturday night, at 9:30, I went with Neeta, her mother, sister-in-law Lena, and niece Radika to a large convention center for the Garba. There was a live music blaring, blinking strings of lights hanging from the ceiling, and over 2,000 people! I danced for a while in the circles with Lena, which was so much fun. At first I was nervous because I stood out so much(because of my skin and my height), I didn't know any of the dances, and at least five reporters were following me with video cameras as I danced! I just laughed off my mistakes and enjoyed the experience; it will be something that I remember for a long time! We were there for two hours, but then were all exhausted, and came home, but Neeta said that the Garba would continue until One AM! Last night, we went to a smaller Garba at 10:30, with only about 200 people there. Instead of dancing individually, there were two circles, one inside the other, and moving in opposite directions. Each person held two Dandiyas, painted wooden sticks, that you click with each person as you pass them in the circle. This was fun, but more difficult than just dancing! At one point, I came to sit down next to Neeta to take a rest, and there was a woman sitting in a chair near to us, with her eyes rolled back into her head. I thought that she was having a seizure, or was severely dehydrated, but Neeta just said to me, "She is OK, I'll explain it later." When we got home at midnight (can you see how crazy Indian's are for their festivals?) Neeta told me that before I came over to sit, that women had been wildly shaking in front of the statue of the Goddess Durga. A few women helped her sit down, and then began touching her feet as if worshiping her. Neeta said, "You won't believe me when I tell you this, but that woman had embodied the goddess." I was shocked, that is never what I would have guessed. She explained that especially during this festival, some people, who have such a devotion to religion, and such a power over their own minds, become completely detached from reality, and believe the god or goddess has replaced their human soul. And amazingly other people believe this too. That is why the other women were worshiping her, praying, and asking her for advice! Because they believed the goddess had come into this woman's form, and that they were speaking directly to the goddess. I had never heard of anything like this, and it amazes me what this woman was able to will her mind to do. This level of devotion to Gods and Goddesses is so common in India; the presence and importance of religion in everyday life is much greater than anything I've ever seen at home.