Chaitra Navratri 2023: Here’s how the Hindu festival is celebrated all over India

The Chaitra Navratri celebration is dedicated to worshipping Maa Durga’s nine avatars, including Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skanda Mata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri, and each day of the event has a particular importance. Chaitra Navratri, also known as Vasant Navratri, will be observed from March 22 to March 30.

Many people identify this celebration with the birth of Lord Ram, the seventh incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu and the son of Ayodhya’s King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya. On this day, locations linked with Ram’s birth and life are adorned, and people go there to adore him.

The celebration, known as Ugadi or Yugadi, celebrates the start of a New Year according to the Hindu community’s ancient calendars. Ugadi, derived from the Sanskrit terms ‘Yuga’ and ‘Adi’, denotes fresh beginnings.


As Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka celebrate Ugadi, Maharashtra and Goa celebrate Gudi Padwa. In certain regions of the nation, it is also known as ‘Chaitra Navratri’.

People celebrate Ugadi to celebrate the new beginnings and delights of the coming year, with Ugadi representing the fact that people should bathe in the goodness of life and relish all flavours in the New Year. The celebration also observes the arrival of spring, which represents alleviation from the severity of winter weather.

They purchase new outfits and decorate their houses with mango leaves and flowers to commemorate fresh beginnings. During the festival day, individuals use a combination of water and cow dung to sprinkle over the surroundings around their houses.

FAQs

Q1: When is Chaitra Navratri 2023?
From March 22 to March 30, 2023

Q2: What is the main reason to celebrate Navratri?
Navratri is a Hindu festival that honours the goddess Durga for defeating the demon Mahishasura.