Navaratri

I had the chance to get out of the house after bedtime several weeks ago to go on a night tour of the Indian festival, Navaratri.

First stop, an Indian Buffet.  We have grown to love Indian food since moving to Singapore.  Samara begs for Briyani rice several times a week.  The food and company were great and we even got a behind-the-scenes look at the kitchen's Tandoori oven.

Nothing better than hot Naan bread!

Tandoori chicken.  Tandoori ovens reach up to 480 C/900 F--that's hot!  A friend who was checking out the oven with me, had a recipe for this chicken but was told it would never be the same because it was the temperature of the oven that gives it the special taste.

 Navaratri literally means "nine nights". Navaratri represents the celebration of the Goddess Durga--the manifestation of Deity in the form of Shakti.  Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore three different aspects of the supreme goddess or goddesses.

First three days:
The goddess is separated as a spiritual force called "Durga", also known as Kali, in order to destroy all our impurities.

Second three days:
The Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees inexhaustible wealth, as she is the goddess of wealth.

Final three days:
The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order to have all-round success in life, believers seek the blessings of all three aspects of the divine femininity, hence the nine nights of worship.

The mother goddess is said to appear in nine forms, and each one is worshipped for a day. These nine forms signify various traits that the goddess influences her faithful devotees.

There was music and 

lots of beautiful dancing.

This woman was the teacher for all the other girls.  She was incredible.  She was so expressive and completely captivated my attention.  

And I loved this little girl.  She twirled and twirled and was having a glorious time. She outlasted me and was probably still twirling when my head hit the pillow.