Navratri v/s Durga Puja: Is both same ? What’s the real difference?

India has already entered its grand festive season with the beginning of Navratri and Durga Puja. Today is the 4th day of Navratri. A lot of people might wonder why are Navratri and Durga Puja mentioned separately, aren’t the two festivals the same? Well, not really. Both Navratri and Durga Puja appear similar, but there is a little difference between the two that comes down to religious rituals and practices.

What is the difference between Navratri and Durga Puja?

Navratri celebrations across India revolve around worshipping the nine forms of Goddess Durga on the nine days of Navratri, which means nine nights. The celebration ends with the celebration of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana on Dussehra. Durga Puja, on the other hand, celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasur. In durgastami, it is believed that the goddess Durga killed Mahisasur. Navratri begins with worshipping Shailputri – the first avatar of Goddess Durga whereas Durga Puja begins with Mahalaya, a day when the battle between Durga and Mahishasura began.

While Navratri celebration ends with the burning of Raavan effigies on Dussehra; Durga Puja ends with Sindoor Khela, where married women play with sindoor with each other before immersion of idols.  two Navratris are celebrated in a lunar year. The first one is usually celebrated in the month of March-April during spring. But Durga Puja is celebrated once in a year, in September -October month, or during the month of Ashwin, according to the lunar calendar(which starts in the month of September-October each year) is called ‘Akal-Bodhon’, meaning ‘evoked before the right time’. In several parts of North India, especially in the Hindi belt, Navaratra is celebrated as Ramalila. Recitations from the Ramayana, enacting plays based on several episodes of the epic, and processions culminating in the burning of the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghanada on the Dasani day (also called Vijaya Masami) are the salient features of these celebrations.

But as India is a diverse country, people celebrate Navratri, and Durga puja together always.