Why garba and dandiya are played only during Navratri, and the belief behind the tradition
Both folk dances are tied to Goddess Durga's nine-day battle with the demon Mahishasura, and devotees believe they please the goddess.
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The Shardiya Navratri festival begins today. During these days, people play dandiya and garba and worship the nine forms of the goddess. The question is why dandiya and garba are played only during Navratri. This folk dance, performed in Maharashtra and Gujarat, is directly linked to Goddess Durga.
Garba and dandiya originated in Gujarat. But devotees of the goddess are found across the country, so group dances are organised nationwide during Navratri.
According to religious belief, these dances are performed only during Navratri. The reason is that they are seen as representing and symbolising the victory in the nine-day battle between Goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura, in which Goddess Durga emerged victorious. This is why devotees perform garba and dandiya during the Navratri festival to please the goddess and seek her blessings.
The goddess is worshipped before garba is played. Then, in front of the idol or image of the goddess, a lamp is lit in an earthen pot with holes in it, and a silver coin is also placed in it. Devotees dance in the light of this lamp. In this play, men and women fight as Goddess Durga and the demon king Mahishasura did.
Garba attire has three parts. Women wear a choli or blouse, a chaniya or long skirt and a shimmering dupatta, while men wear a turban along with a kada. There is also a style in which men and women dance in groups of two to four, keeping to the beat.
In the dandiya dance, both women and men dance with colourful, decorated bamboo sticks to instruments such as the dholak and tabla. It is considered a beautiful way of depicting the battle between gods and demons. The colourful sticks used during dandiya are regarded as representing Goddess Durga's sword.
It is said that the sound made by the sticks in the dandiya dance brings positive energy and also removes negativity from life. While dancing garba, women clap three times, which is believed to bring positive energy. Everyone goes to play dandiya with great enthusiasm.
