Navratri- 9 Nights of Divinity

Navratri, a nine day Hindu festival has been observed in India for a long time and has a significant cultural and religious value all over the nation. Navratri in India follows the lunar calendar and is celebrated in the month of March/ April and September/October.

The celebrations for the days are seeped deep in music and dance. Gujarat remains in the main focus every Navratri. The state witnesses tourists flying down to enjoy the mix high-energy band music performance, singing and dancing. Raas Garba is the main attraction of the festive days. People are seen all dressed up in bright coloured clothes, performing to high end acoustics and planning well-choreographed performances. The Dandiya hold a special significance for the youth on these nine nights. The sticks of the dance symbolize the sword of Durga. Usually the dance is performed by the women as they move around the ‘mandvi’.

The Garba makes places like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Ahmedabad a tourist spot for the nine days. According to traditions the Dandiya dance is performed after the ‘Arti’. The consecutive nine days are all about chanting matras and rendition of bhajans and folk songs, accompanied by the worship rituals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navratri         

http://www.indiaonlinepages.com/festivals/navratri/