Here it is – and before you know it, Navratri has caught up with you. The nine day coming of the Goddess is an auspicious and much-awaited event and once Navratri is here, there is no looking back for the faithfulness of the mother goddess. There is not just a sense of spiritual duty to worship and appease the goddess that pervades the mood of the moment, there is a sense of celebration, a joy the vivre and joyful gratitude for the source of all life the Devi herself. Navratri is one of the most important festivals for Indians who take great pride and joy in celebrating the mother goddess and her nine forms with rituals, mantras and various offerings during this period, especially dedicated to the divine feminine.
Elaborate rules and regulations mark these rituals, right from which prasad is to be offered to which goddess, to correct mantras and even the suitable flowers to be offered to each one of the forms of the mother goddess are prescribed.
And in the same spirit there are regulations for the devotees. Is it surprising at all that in this vibrant and rare culture that celebrates the divine feminine, each of the 9 days have a dedicated color signifying the salient qualities of each of the nine goddess forms. Devotees are expected to wear Indian clothes in these colors while offering their prayers in the belief that wearing the color associated with a particular goddess will bring special blessings to the devotees.
Yes! Isn’t that exciting. Now, for sure you are curious why this is. The simple reason is that like everything else in Indian culture there is a hidden benefit behind this. As is now well known, colors have a huge impact on our health and psych. Different colors have different wavelengths and these in turn have a variety of effects on us including on our mood, appetite, blood pressure and even our performance before a test.
So, let us look at this amazing facet of Navratri and see which colors are prescribed as auspicious for each day of Navaratri and why?
Starting from day one to day nine, each of the days is dedicated to one of the nine forms of the goddess and one color attributed to that goddess is also prescribed as preferable for devotees to wear while performing the rituals. These are –
Day 1 – Color me happy- Orange – Goddess Shailputri: This year this was one of the trending colors among the neon group, and wearing orange Indian wear during puja bestows one with warmth and exuberance.
Day 2 – Peace be with you – White – Goddess Bramhcharini: Every woman looks lovely in white especially in summer whites and it is believed that inner peace and calmness pervade the wearer of white clothes while offering worship.
Day 3 – Joi de vivre – Red – Goddess Chandraghanta: Red is always an eye-catching color loved by fashionistas and it is said that vigor and vitality are increased by wearing red clothes.
Day 4- Serenity is thy name – Blue – Goddess Kushmanda: Blue is an all season color that never goes wrong the wearer of blue clothes feels tranquility and ease.
Day 5 – Bright and sunny – Yellow – Goddess Skandmata: While a lot of women love the sunny shades of yellow, yellow clothes stimulate one’s creativity and exuberance.
Day 6 – Harmony before beauty – Green – Goddess Katyayani: Green is a one of those colors that look good on all skin tones and as it represents new beginnings in life, green clothes also invoke harmony and serenity.
Day 7 – Wordly wise – Grey – Goddess Kalratri: Grey represents balanced emotions and gives the wearer a calm mind, and this is also an ideal color when one wants to look sophisticated and well-polished like with this outfit.
Day 8 – Noble be thy spirit – Purple – Goddess Navadurga: Purple is usually associated with luxury due to its historic origins and use; it is known to increase spiritual strength in devotees. A purple kanjivaram is ideal to get all the benefits of this amazing color.
Day 9 – Free your soul – Peacock green – Goddess Siddhidatri: Peacock green is an attractive color that never fails to catch the eye like in this — however when worn during puja it exudes compassion and a fresh new approach to life.