At the amavasya ( the new moon ) at the beginning of the month of Chaitra ( March — April ) begins the celebration of Vasant Navaratri ( Vasanta Navaratri ) — nine spring nights dedicated to the Mother Goddess. Autumn nine nights are celebrated at the beginning of the month of Ashvin ( September — October ).
According to the mythological story in Purany, the Great Goddess Durga, the personification of Shakti of all the gods, fought demons for nine days and nights, finally defeating the most powerful demon Mahishasur. It tells about this in Markande Puran, Davybhagavat Puran, Chandi Puran and other Scriptures. The most important part of the Marcande Purana is the famous Davy Mahatmya ( The Great Goddess ), read daily on the night of the Navaratri holiday.
Both — holidays and spring — are celebrated as the victory of the bright forces personified by the Mother Goddess. In some areas of India, during the spring holiday, more attention is paid to the figure of Rama and the playing of the Ramayana mystery, with a special veneration of the ninth day — Rama Navami.
Rama — the hero of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. This classic epic has developed in its completed written form several centuries before our era and has become one of the foundations of Indian culture during the formation of Hinduism at the beginning of our era. « Ramayana » — the favorite poem of the Indians. They know many of her poems from childhood and retell by heart. In villages, special storytellers, most often brahmanas, overtakes her in parts on long winter nights, like another great epic poem of ancient India, « Mahabharatu », eagerly listening.
Usually they recall the heroism, love and devotion of Hanuman. They recall the various trials and misunderstandings that befell Rama and Sita, and many commentators decipher them in terms of karma, dharma, kama and mokshi.
At the external level of the Vedic holiday, the triple structure — veneration of successive aspects of the Mother Goddess such as Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati — three nights each is observed. Durga Davy clears the Path, enters the heart of a person and mercilessly destroys all the pollution that lives in it. Mahalakshmi symbolizes the disclosure and the beginning of work in a cleared field. Lakshmi supports and nourishes the creative expression of the soul. Durga destroys the dilapidated remains of old vices, Lakshmi gives virtues. Durga performs a surgical operation, removing the sick part of the mind, Lakshmi performs healing.
In some ( schools, such as Sri Vidya ) for every day there is one aspect of the Divine Force — one Goddess: Gauri, Rajarajeshwari, Durga Lakshmi, Minakshi, Parashakti, Vishalakshi, Saraswati, Chandi, Shaktidurgi. Other schools have their own variations.