About Chaitra Navratri
Chaitra Navratri, also called Vasanta Navratri, is the spring Navratri. It runs from Chaitra Shukla Pratipada to Navami, the first nine days of the bright half of Chaitra, which in much of India is also the start of the new year. The nine nights are given to the Devi, the Mother Goddess, and they close with Ram Navami, the birth of Rama, so the festival carries both a Devi and a Rama mood.
The first day begins with Ghatasthapana. A clay or metal kalash filled with water is set on a bed of soil, topped with mango leaves and a coconut, and barley seeds are sown around it. The green shoots that rise over the nine days are seen as a sign of growth and blessing. Many homes also light an akhand jyoti, a lamp kept burning through all nine days.
Each day honours one of the nine forms of Durga: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri. Devotees recite hymns to the Devi, sing bhajans in the evening and visit Devi temples. Many keep a fast, taking fruit, milk and dishes of kuttu, singhara or sama rice instead of grain, while others fast only on the first and last days.
On Ashtami or Navami, families hold kanya pujan: young girls are welcomed home as forms of the Devi, their feet are washed, and they are served puri, chana and halwa with small gifts. On Navami the kalash is honoured one last time, and the barley shoots are kept at home or offered in flowing water.
Ghatasthapana is done on the Pratipada tithi, usually in the morning, within the muhurat shown above. Whether a family fasts all nine days, and whether it closes the festival on Ashtami or Navami, follows its own custom.
