Festivals
Navratri
Nine nights honoring the goddess Durga, observed twice a year at the lunar-calendar's Shukla Paksha windows.
- Basis
- Lunar (Shukla Paksha, Ashwin and Chaitra months)
- Occurs
- Twice yearly — Sharad Navratri (autumn) is the major observance
Navratri ('nine nights') spans the nine days of the waxing lunar fortnight (Shukla Paksha) in a given lunar month, each night traditionally associated with a different form of the goddess Durga.
Sharad Navratri, in the lunar month of Ashwin (typically September–October), is the most widely observed of the four Navratris in the Hindu calendar, culminating in Vijayadashami/Dussehra on the tenth day.