Namaste. Today is the start of the festival of Navarathri or 9-nights. According to Hindu traditions these days are observed spiritually and religiously as a penance to bring in dedication, conscientiousness and ethics in every person's personality layers.
The 9 days (or nights) are grouped into 3 days dedicated to each Hindu goddess as below:
- Durga (Gowri) representing unflinching dedication to destruction of Tamas thoughts and actions such as evil, laziness, ignorance etc. and to promote good characters like truth and honesty,
- Lakshmi to provide the noble traits within us and ready us for the knowledge (both spiritual and materialistic) to be gained, We pray to goddess Lakshmi to keep our mind and actions pure.
- Saraswati to provide the right avenues to gain the knowledge and resources to lead a happy, calm life.
Please read my post in this blog on the significance of Navarathri that I wrote a few years ago (2014). Click HERE to read the old post.
I happened to read another wonderful information (source: TOI, Nov 2017) on the representation of these 9 days in different colors which signifies the different incarnations of Goddess Durga. I have reproduced it with some changes in my own wordings.
The nine nights (navaratris) of the festival commemorate the nine avatars of Goddess Durga with each day also standing for a particular colour. As Hindus celebrate the festival, they worship the particular deity which the day of the Navratri stands for and also makes it special by wearing the corresponding colour.
Day 1: Shailaputri / Red
Shailaputri is the incarnation of goddess Parvati and represents the collective power of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara. She symbolises the characteristics of nature and purity and the colour on day one of Navratri is red.
Shailaputri is the incarnation of goddess Parvati and represents the collective power of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara. She symbolises the characteristics of nature and purity and the colour on day one of Navratri is red.
Day 2: Brahmacharini / Royal Blue
Brahmacharini stands for a figure that is blissful and calm. She is the one who practices austerity and should be worshipped if you want to attain moksha, or emancipation of your deeds. She is the one who endows grace and prosperity. The colour on day 2 is the subtle yet power-wielding royal blue.
Day 3: Chandraghanta / Yellow
Chandraghanta is the embodiment of beauty. Like the colour yellow, she stands for grace, concord and tranquillity. Besides being symbolic of beauty, she is also symbolic of bravery. Hence, the colour of the day 3 is yellow.
Brahmacharini stands for a figure that is blissful and calm. She is the one who practices austerity and should be worshipped if you want to attain moksha, or emancipation of your deeds. She is the one who endows grace and prosperity. The colour on day 2 is the subtle yet power-wielding royal blue.
Day 3: Chandraghanta / Yellow
Chandraghanta is the embodiment of beauty. Like the colour yellow, she stands for grace, concord and tranquillity. Besides being symbolic of beauty, she is also symbolic of bravery. Hence, the colour of the day 3 is yellow.
Day 4: Kushmunda / Green
Kushmunda is believed to the creative power behind the universe. She is the one who endowed the world with greenery and vegetation, the symbols of life, merely with a laughter. Hence, the colour of the day 4 is green.
Day 5: Skanamata / Grey
This day’s colour has a very beautiful significance as it reacts to a powerful vulnerability of the mother when it comes to her child. Just like the colour grey, she can turn into thunderstorm whenever any harm comes near her child. Skanda mata is the mother of Karthikeya, also known as Skanda. The color of the day 5 is grey.
Kushmunda is believed to the creative power behind the universe. She is the one who endowed the world with greenery and vegetation, the symbols of life, merely with a laughter. Hence, the colour of the day 4 is green.
Day 5: Skanamata / Grey
This day’s colour has a very beautiful significance as it reacts to a powerful vulnerability of the mother when it comes to her child. Just like the colour grey, she can turn into thunderstorm whenever any harm comes near her child. Skanda mata is the mother of Karthikeya, also known as Skanda. The color of the day 5 is grey.
Day 6: Katyayani / Orange
Katayayani was very brave and courageous and hence, the colour of the day is orange. She was the daughter of the sage Kata and that’s why she was named Katyayani. It is believed that she was an avatar of goddess Durga. The color representation for Day 6 is Orange.
Day 7: Kalratri / White
This is the most powerful of the avatars of the goddess Shakti, that is the avatar in the form of Goddess Kali. In the form of Kalratri, she is dark coloured, has a posture that bespeaks power and has three eyes. This is the fiercest form of the Maa Durga. However, the colour of her clothes is white. White represents her fight for peace. Hence, the colour of the day is white.
Day 8: Maha Gauri / Pink
This incarnation of Goddess Durga represents intelligence and peace. The story goes that due to her austerities in the forests of the Himalayas, her complexion got very dark and she turned black. However, Shiva cleansed her body with the water of the Ganges and this is how her body restored its beauty and glow. The colour of the day is pink as pink denotes optimism and anticipation.
Day 9: Siddhidatri / Sky blue
It is the last day of the festivity and it stands for happiness, blessings and positivity. Siddhidatri is a representative of mother figure and is endowed with healing powers. She is known to have blessed all the gods, goddesses and worshippers with bliss as pure as the blue sky. That is why the colour of the day is sky blue.
This is the most powerful of the avatars of the goddess Shakti, that is the avatar in the form of Goddess Kali. In the form of Kalratri, she is dark coloured, has a posture that bespeaks power and has three eyes. This is the fiercest form of the Maa Durga. However, the colour of her clothes is white. White represents her fight for peace. Hence, the colour of the day is white.
Day 8: Maha Gauri / Pink
This incarnation of Goddess Durga represents intelligence and peace. The story goes that due to her austerities in the forests of the Himalayas, her complexion got very dark and she turned black. However, Shiva cleansed her body with the water of the Ganges and this is how her body restored its beauty and glow. The colour of the day is pink as pink denotes optimism and anticipation.
Day 9: Siddhidatri / Sky blue
It is the last day of the festivity and it stands for happiness, blessings and positivity. Siddhidatri is a representative of mother figure and is endowed with healing powers. She is known to have blessed all the gods, goddesses and worshippers with bliss as pure as the blue sky. That is why the colour of the day is sky blue.
May the blessings of all these Goddess be with you, families and friends during this Navarathri festival season.
Happy Navarathri. 🙏.
Hari Om.
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