October 7th, 2021 marks the beginning of Navaratri, a nine-day long festival that honors the Mother Goddess in all her manifestations, including Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. We asked Shreya Mahasenan, the co-president of the McGill Dharma Society, a few questions about the festival's significance, and how they are choosing to celebrate!
"Navaratri holds differing significance and involves different kinds of celebrations based on the region. Generally, however, the festival commemorates the goddesses in particular, typically most centrally the goddess Durga, and celebrates the triumph of the goddess and good over evil. Different regions place special emphasis on different incarnations of the Goddess, but there is also usually a theme of congregating with family and friends.
Across the many regions, Navaratri is marked by celebrations that range from feasting to fasting. During each night of the festival, it is customary for devotees to both host other families in their home to view and worship at their Golu, as well as visit other families' homes and displays.
Every night of the festival, I sing bhajans (devotional songs) in honour of the Goddess and involve my family and friends in both virtual and in-person sharing of celebration and joy.
My most cherished memory from this holiday is celebrating it with my family, especially my mom. We always had a lot of fun setting up our own Golu display at home together, and also visiting other families' displays and marvelling at their creativity! It was also customary for us to sing devotional songs together when visiting other homes. I'll always treasure the time the festival gave me to be around family and friends in joyous and celebratory times that made our homes feel like especially special, welcoming places within the Hindu communities wherever we lived."
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Stay tuned for more stories from our community in the "How I Celebrate" series as more celebrations arrive on the calendar.
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