Navaratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga. The word Navaratri means 'nine nights' in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights.
During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Devi are worshipped. The tenth day is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami or Dussehra.
The Navratris of September-October are the most popular ones which are called the ‘Sharad Navratris’. During the Navratris, people fast and eat only fruits and follow a diet which is believed to cleanse the whole body.
On the ninth day, devotees break their fasts by calling young girls home and they are treated as forms of the Devi. They are called "Kanjak Devis". Manju, one of the devotees, says, “We wash the girls’ feet, worship them and then offer food by giving them the traditional puri, halwa and chana along with bangles and the red chunnis with a token amount of money as ‘shagun’ ”.
The day of Vijaydashmi in the north is celebrated more in honour of lord Rama slaying Ravana and less of Durga killing Mahishasura.
In the north, it is a tradition to plant barley seeds in earthen pots on the first day of Navratri. Manisha, resident of Nehru Colony, explains, “On the day of Vijaydashmi, Ravan is worshipped for his knowledge and wit in many homes. He was regarded as a great scholar. He had knowledge of all the Vedas and the Puranas”. The puja is done by creating 10 balls of cow dung in a rectangle which represent his ten heads. The families sit together around it and a chapter of Ramayana depicting Ram killing Ravana is read aloud. After the puja is over the thick green grass called noratras(plants of nine nights) are used as symbols of luck. Men, women and kids place them behind their ears or in head and books for good luck. Dahi with laddus are served as Prasad. The puja comes to an end with younger ones touching elders’ feet and elders blessing them with the ‘shagun’.” The kids are particularly excited for the Dusheraa day. Asked why, Yash, a class 7th kid, said “We are given gifts by our elders and that is what I look forward to. Also the Ravan Dehen is something we eagerly wait for. We feel good when so large a representation is burnt”.
In Dehradun, during these 10 days, many plays and dramas based on Ramayana are performed generally known as Raamleela.
Outdoor fairs and large processions with locals dressed as Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghnad are taken out.