Navratri ( Sanskrit : नवरात्रि , literally "nine nights"), also spelled Navaratri or Navarathri , is a multi-day Hindu festival celebrated in the autumn every year. It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian subcontinent . [2] [1] Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navratri . However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharad Navratri that is the most observed in the honor of the divine feminine Devi ( Durga ). The festival is celebrated in the bright half of the Hindu calendar month Ashvin , which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October. [2] [3] In the eastern and northeastern states of India, the Durga Puja is synonymous with Navratri , wherein goddess Durga battles and emerges victorious over the buffalo demon to help restore Dharma . In the northern and western states, the festival i...