Navratri 2024: Nine-day festival runs October 11-19 with full calendar

The Sharadiya Navratri festival will commence on October 11 and conclude on October 19, providing devotees with a nine-day period of worship dedicated to the various manifestations of Goddess Durga. Each day of the festival carries its own significance, with specific rituals and prayers performed to honour different forms of the divine feminine.

Key dates within this year's observance include Ashtami on October 18 and Mahanavami on October 19, both of which hold particular importance in the Hindu calendar. These final two days are traditionally marked by Kanya Pujan, a ritual in which young girls are worshipped as embodiments of the goddess and are offered food and blessings.

The complete Navratri calendar provides followers with a structured framework for their devotional practices throughout the festival period. Each of the nine days corresponds to a different avatar of Durga, allowing worshippers to pay homage to the varied aspects of divine power and virtue represented by the goddess. The festival culminates with Dussehra celebrations, marking the triumph of good over evil.