Navratri | Navarathri | How do we celebrate Navarathri ?

Navratri is one of the most important festival in all parts of India, especially very famous in northern parts of India and west Bengal. It is the Hindu festival dedicated for Goddess Durga.

When is Navratri Celebrated?

There are 4 occasions in a year we celebrate Navaratri

1. Vasantha Navaratri – During the Tamil month “Chithirai”
2. Ashtada Navratri – During the Tamil month “Aadi”
3. Saradha Navratri – During the Tamil month “Puratasi”
4. Shyamala Navratri – During the Tamil month “Thai”

Out of the 4 Navratri, The Navratri that comes on the tamil month of “Puratasi” is considered to be so auspicious.  The Day 1 of Navratri starts on the Pradhamai day which is the next day of new moon day in that month. Usually New moon day in any month is considered so auspicious and especially Malaya Ammavasai (Puratasi Ammavasai) is a very special day. Most of us have a custom of setting up Golu steps and decorating the steps with Golu dolls and other decoration items on the New Moon day. From Pradhamai day till Navami day all the 9 evenings, we celebrate different avatar of Goddess.

Significance of each day

Navratri , literally means 9 nights and 10 days and we worship nine different forms of Shakthi during these 9 days. 10th day is called as Vijayadasami or Dusshera

• First 3 days of the Navratri, we dedicate to 3 different forms of Goddess Durga
• Second 3 days of Navratri, we dedicate to 3 different forms of Goddess Lakshmi
• Last 3 days of Navratri, we dedicate to 3 different forms of Goddess Saraswathi

9th day (Navami day) is Saraswathi Pooja or Ayudha Pooja. Whatever job we are doing, music or instruments we play, our skills are blessings of Goddess Saraswathi. Thats why on this auspicious day, we keep our books, instruments, tool box, cash box etc under the lotus feet of Goddess Saraswathi and seek blessings from her. We will do pooja the next day and then only take out the books, instruments etc.

10th Day (Vijaya Dasami) – This day is considered as the day of Victory. The books, cash box, tool box under the lotus feet of Goddess Saraswathi are taken out on this Vijaya Dasami day and it is a belief that the next 1 year all our skills will flourish. For very young children, vidhyarambam (Aksharabyasam) will start on this day.

Prasad, Decoration, Fruits & Flowers

Recently I studied a detailed article about Navratri which has detail on the decoration, Neivedhyam, flowers for pooja, fruits etc and I feel this would be more helpful if I share this here.

Day	Neivedhyam Dishes	Decoration	Flowers	Fruits and Leaves
1	Venn Pongal and Karamani Sundal	Maheswari	Jasmine and Vilvam	Banana and Vilvam
2	Mango, Puliyodharai and Puttu	Kaumari	Thulasi and Mullai	Mango leaves and Thulasi
3	Sakarai Pongal, Jack fruit, Yellu Podi	Varahi	Hibiscus,Maru, Sampangi	Jack fruit, Maru
4	Curd Rice and Pattani sundal	Mahalakshmi	Jathimalli	Guava
5	Pongal, Payasam and Mochai payiru sundal	Vaishnavi	Shenbaga poo	Pomegranate
6	Coconut Rice, Pomegranate, Sweet lime, Channa dal sundal	Indrani	Kunguma poo	Narathai, Sandhanam
7	Lemon rice, Sweet Sundal	Saraswathi	Thazhambu, Thumbai	Dates
8	Paal sadham, appam	Narasimhi	Marudhani, sampangi	Grapes
9	Vella sadham, Chick peas sundal	Chamundeswari	Marikozhundhu, Lotus	Naval pazham
10	Sakarai Pongal, Thayir sadham, Puliyodharai	Maha Durgai	Sevvarali, Roja	Sevvazhai

Mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra, during Navratri, there is a tradition of wearing different color dresses during these 9 days. Given below are the colors for each day.

3 October, 2024	Yellow
4 October, 2024	Green
5, October, 2023	Grey
6, October, 2023	Orange
7, October, 2023	White
8, October, 2023	Red
9, October, 2023	Blue
10, October, 2023	Pink
11, October, 2023	Purple

South Indian Style Navratri with Golu

We South Indians have a unique way of celebrating Navratri festival. Most of us have a tradition of keeping Golu (Display of dolls).  Golu is display of dolls in a stair/steps arrangement. Usually the steps start from 3 and it can extend to 9. Golu features clay dolls of Gods’ and Goddess’, statuettes, figurine, and themed dioramas.

Is there any Significance or order in keeping dolls?

Yes, Certainly. Each step in the Golu has a greater spiritual significance. They are a metaphor for ‘ascending towards enlightenment’. The top 2-3 step features statuettes of deities and gods, while the lowest steps are covered with figures of animal and fruit. The middle layers usually depict scenes from daily life, like shopping, dancing, and just a having a good time. Keeping Golu is considered as a tradition passed on from earlier generations in the family. Some clay dolls and hand grafted bead dolls are passed on from one generation to other and its considered as so precious treasure. This tradition is also found in other parts of South India such as Andhra Pradesh where it called Bommala Koluvu, and Karnataka where it is called Gombe Habba or Gombe totti.

We do aarti and worship God/Goddesses for nine days. On the occasion Haldi – Kumkum is arranged. People give gifts, celebrate  feast and exchange wishes. Singing the praise of God is also part of these 9 days. Its a tradition to invite friends and relatives to see our Golu and also we will be invited and we will go to our friends/relatives place to see their arrangement of Golu. The guests/children will sit in front of the Golu and sing lovely classical songs in praise of the deities.

Three main things to learn from Golu

1. Celebrating Art : – We as a family sit together and plan on how to display the golu in an artistic way. Many people use different themes each year.
2. Celebrating Womenhood : – This festival is mainly for all 3 Goddess (Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi) and women all over the world celebrate with great pomp
3. Engaging Kids : – This is one big festival where we involve kids and make them understand and learn different themes/ stories of life.

Sundal & Navaratri

Navratri and Sundal are inseparable. Whenever we think of Navratri, immediately our mind equates with Sundal and vice versa. Sundal or cooked pulses, which is a must Prasadam for Navrathri, is given as Prasadam all the Golu days.  The traditional sundal varieties are Chickpeas, channadal, peanut, moongdal, Green gram dal, karamani (cowpeas), mochai (Field beans), Dry Green peas(Pattani), Sweet Corn and Navratna sundal. We can make sweet version of sundal using cowpeas, moongdal and mixed dal.

We generally prepare sundal, sweet puttu, different rice varieties or payasam varieties on each day of navratri for neivedhyam and also we share the neivedhyam with our guests who would come and visit our Golu and get thamboolam from us. Offering neivehdyam first to God and then to our guests bring happiness to our hearts and in turn we get blessings from all 3 Goddess and also from elders.

Neivedhyam Recipes

Sundal Varieties

Sundal Powder / Curry Powder

Sundal Powder is a spice powder which can be mixed with any type of savory sundals and also with any south indian style stir fry vegetable curries / poriyals.

Check out this recipe

Karamani Sundal | Perum Payiru Sundal

Karamani Sundal(Perum Payiru Sundal) is a very healthy Sundal variety. Protein packed Sundal, can help in our diet to keep us healthy. For Navratri Festival, Day 1, We make Karamani Sundal as the Neivedhyam.

Check out this recipe

Sweet Sundal | Mixed Dal Sweet Sundal

Sweet Sundal is made using Mixed Dal and Jaggery Syrup. This is prepared usually for the Navarathri festival as an offering to god and also to distribute to friends and family.

Check out this recipe

Pachai Payaru Sundal | Green Moong Dal Sundal

Pachai Payaru Sundal is one of the sundal that we make during Navarathri for the God's offering and also distribution to friends and family who are visiting Golu.

Check out this recipe

Peanut Sundal | Verkadalai Sundal

Peanut Sundal is made using boiled peanuts and seasoned with spices and grated coconut. This is one of the common sundal made during Navarathri for gods offering.

Check out this recipe

Moong dal Sundal (Payitham Paruppu Sundal)

Moong dal Sundal is one of the Sundal that we make for Navarathri festival to distribute as prasadam or neivedyam. This sundal doesn't require overnight soaking hence can be done with less planning and short notice. One of the easy and quick sundal for Navartri

Check out this recipe

Kondakadalai Sundal | Chickpeas Sundal |Chole Sundal

Kondakadalai Sundal / Chick Peas Sundal is a very popular offering made to god for South Indian festivals especially in Tamil Nadu.

Check out this recipe

Peas Mango Sundal (Pattani Sundal)

Pattani/Peas Sundal is the delicious recipe that will be prepared by all devotees on the auspicious occasion of Navratri.

Check out this recipe

Black Chickpeas Sundal | Kala Chana Sundal | Konda Kadalai Sundal

Kondakadalai Sundal is a nutritious snack made using Kala Chana (black chana). It's also given as prasadam in some of the temples.

Check out this recipe

Kadala Paruppu Sundal | Chana Dhal Sundal

Chana Dal Sundal is a Sundal prepared during the auspicious occassion of Navarathri. A simple tea time snack or a festive recipe. Interestingly we don't need an overnight soaking for this sundal (unlike others) and can be prepared quickly.

Check out this recipe

Rice Varieties

Lemon Rice

Quick & Easy to make Rice!

Check out this recipe

Madapalli Puliyodharai | Temple Style Tamarind Rice

Madapalli Puliyodharai | Temple Style Tamarind Rice is a very appetizing and yummy Prasad served in most of the Vishnu temples and Hanuman temples. A spicy and tangy rice variety conventionally made as prasad for many auspicious occasions and festivals.

Check out this recipe

Coconut Rice Recipe | Thengai Sadam Recipe

Coconut Rice is an easy to make rice variety loaded with flavor of coconut. With fresh grated coconut and minimal spices this is one of the very common rice variety in South India, espeically in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Check out this recipe

Curd Rice Recipe | Thayir Sadam Recipe

Curd rice is one of the healthy and favorite food for most of the kids and adults in Tamil nadu and South India. Especially during hot summer, a bowl of curd rice along with Mavadu or Lemon Pickle is a heavenly treat for our taste buds!

Check out this recipe

Ellu Sadam | Til Rice | Sesame Rice

Ellu Sadam, quick and easy recipe made with sesame seeds flavored with spices. Ellu Sadam is prepared and served as a prasad in many temples. Its one of the traditional rice variety we make for Puratasi Saturday.

Check out this recipe

Ulundhorai | Urad Dal Spice Powder Rice

Ulundhorai | Urad Dal Spice Powder Rice is a prasad made in many Vishnu Temples. Very simple yet tastes divine !

Check out this recipe

Kadugu Sadam | Mustard Seeds Rice | Kadugorai

Kadugu Sadam is a traditional variety rice made using the fresh spice powder. The spice powder is prepared using raw mustard seeds, dals and coconut which made this dish colorful, spicy, very flavorful and tasty.

Check out this recipe

Vella Sadam Recipe | Jaggery Rice Recipe

Vella Sadam is a delicious sweet made with rice, jaggery along with flavor of ghee, cashews and coconut. This is different from Sakkara Pongal.

Check out this recipe

 Sweet Varieties

Sakkarai Pongal / Sweet Rice Pongal

Sakkarai Pongal is one of the common and popular dish in Tamil Nadu and South India. We make this for many festivals and auspicious days for an offering to god (naivedhyam).

Check out this recipe

Pal Payasam | Pressure Cooker Paal Payasam | Rice Kheer/Pudding

Pal Payasam, is one of the most delicious kheer variety. Its a classic Indian Dessert made with whole milk, rice and sugar. This payasam can be easily made using pressure cooker without much hassle.

Check out this recipe

Special Aval Payasam | Red Poha Kheer | Special Rice Flakes Kheer

Aval Payasam, an easy to make kheer with powdered Aval (Poha), Milk and Sugar. Poha cooked in milk along with nuts and condensed milk makes this kheer unique and delicious.

Check out this recipe

Rava Kesari Recipe | Sooji Kesari Recipe | Semolina Kesari Recipe

Rava Kesari is a popular and easy dessert in Tamil Nadu made using Rava (Sooji / Semolina), Sugar and Ghee.

Check out this recipe

Aval Kesari Recipe | Poha Kesari Recipe | Flattened Rice Kesari

Indulge in the sweetness of Aval Kesari - a delectable South Indian dessert. Our easy-to-follow recipe will guide you through creating this mouthwatering delight.

Check out this recipe

Semiya Kesari Recipe | Vermicilli Kesari Recipe

Semiya Kesari, mouth-watering kesari variety. Vermicelli is cooked and then concocted with sugar and ghee to get ghee-dripping melt-in-mouth kesari.

Check out this recipe

Wheat Flour Kesari

Kesari with a twist! Instead of using Sooji we are going to use Wheat flour to make this healthy and tasty kesari. Also another important variation in this kesari is that we use jaggery instead of sugar. So This is not only a delectable kesari but also a healthy sweet! We can offer this healthy and tasty kesari as a Prasad!

Check out this recipe

Wheat Flour Kesari Recipe | Godhumai Mavu Kesari Recipe

Kesari with a twist! Instead of using Sooji we are going to use Wheat flour to make this healthy and tasty kesari.

Check out this recipe

Pineapple (Annasi pazham) Kesari

Pineapple Kesari Recipe is one of the easy and conventional kesari variety for any occasions. Sooji kesari is enriched with the rich flavor of pineapple. A very tempting Indian dessert which is very easy to make

Check out this recipe

Nei Appam (Ghee Appam)

A delightful South Indian sweet treat! Explore the secrets to crafting these golden, ghee-infused rice flour sweet, perfect for festive occasions. Discover the unique flavor and fluffy texture of Nei Appam in this culinary journey.

Check out this recipe

Rava Appam Recipe | Semolina Jaggery Appam Recipe

Rava Appam is a sweet which can be made instantly. We usually make this for the Karthigai Deepam. Unlike the conventional appam, Rava appam doesn't require soaking and grinding process. It's quick, easy and tasty.

Check out this recipe

Other Neivedhyam Recipes

Ulundhu Vadai | Medhu vadai | Urad dhal Vada

Medhu Vadai, is a crispy and yummy vadai made using urad dal as the main ingredient and other indian spices. We have a tradition to make this Medhuvadai as a Prasad for many occasions and festivals

Check out this recipe

Paruppu Vadai | No Onion No Garlic Vadai | Mixed Dal Vada

Paruppu Vadai, a traditional neivedhyam (Offering to God) recipe that we usually prepare for any auspicious occasions or festivals.

Check out this recipe

Sabudana Vada Recipe

Sabudana Vadai is a popular Maharashtrian Snack / Appetizer made using Sabudana, Peanut Powder, Potato and other spices.

Check out this recipe

Sago Khichdi | Sabudana Khichdi

Sabudana Khichdi is a very popular Maharashtrian snack. It is usually made on the vrat (fasting) days like Navratri, Maha Shivaratri or Ekadashi days.

Check out this recipe

Sabudana Thalipeeth Recipe

Sabudana Thalipeeth is a crisp flatbread shaped delicious dish made with tapioca pearls along with mashed potato, powdered peanuts and other spices. Mostly this delicious thalipeeth is made on upvas day like Ekadasi.

Check out this recipe

Aloo ki Puri | Potato Poori Recipe | Aloo Poori

Aloo puri is one the delicious poori variety especially made on fasting days. Instead of using regular wheat flour, we are going to use Amaranth flour. A saatvik food to intake during vrat days.

Check out this recipe

Masala Poori Recipe

Masala Poori is a regular poori but enriched with spices. This gives very good flavor, taste to the Poori and makes this more interesting. Relish this Masala poori with potato Bhaji / Chana Masala.

Check out this recipe

 

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South Indian Style Navratri with Golu

We South Indians have a unique way of celebrating Navratri festival. Most of us have a tradition of keeping Golu (Display of dolls).  Golu is display of dolls in a stair/steps arrangement. Usually the steps start from 3 and it can extend to 9. Golu features clay dolls of Gods’ and Goddess’, statuettes, figurine, and themed dioramas.

Is there any Significance or order in keeping dolls?

Yes, Certainly. Each step in the Golu has a greater spiritual significance. They are a metaphor for ‘ascending towards enlightenment’. The top 2-3 step features statuettes of deities and gods, while the lowest steps are covered with figures of animal and fruit. The middle layers usually depict scenes from daily life, like shopping, dancing, and just a having a good time. Keeping Golu is considered as a tradition passed on from earlier generations in the family. Some clay dolls and hand grafted bead dolls are passed on from one generation to other and its considered as so precious treasure. This tradition is also found in other parts of South India such as Andhra Pradesh where it called Bommala Koluvu, and Karnataka where it is called Gombe Habba or Gombe totti.

1. Celebrating Art : – We as a family sit together and plan on how to display the golu in an artistic way. Many people use different themes each year.
2. Celebrating Womenhood : – This festival is mainly for all 3 Goddess (Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi) and women all over the world celebrate with great pomp
3. Engaging Kids : – This is one big festival where we involve kids and make them understand and learn different themes/ stories of life.

Sundal & Navaratri

Sowmya Venkatachalam

IT Engineer turned full time Food Blogger. I ♡ FOOD. I also love food blogging. Did you make a recipe? Tag @Subbusktichen on Instagram. I WANNA SEE!