Intricate, colorful lehengas and kurtas fill Harrington’s gymnasium as attendees gather for Lexington’s 10th annual Navratri celebration. The Oct. 17 event, organized by the Lexington Parents Association, drew hundreds from Lexington and nearby towns.
Navratri honors the divine feminine energy and goddess Durga. The celebration lasts 10 days; the first nine nights are devoted to singing, dancing, and praying for the goddess’s success in battle. On the 10th day, the goddess returns home victorious.
During Navratri, people celebrate with traditional folk dances called Garba and Dandiya. In Garba, dancers circle around the Durga idol. Dandiya is performed with decorated wooden or bamboo sticks, which dancers strike together to the beat.
The celebration begins with a puja, a Hindu worship ritual, and aarti, a ceremony in which attendees honor the deity by offering a lit lamp and chanting prayers.
It concludes with upbeat Bollywood dancing and socializing.
“It’s more than just an event. It’s a tradition now that we’ve built together.… It was important that I would do this for the children,” Samita Mandalia, an LPA representative, said. “And now we’ve seen those little children grow up celebrating Garba with us, and we welcome new families.”
Mandalia said that when this event began in 2017, it was simply meant to bring families together, with a particular focus on children enjoying the event. As the event grew in popularity year after year, she noticed multiple generations of families celebrating together.
“[Navratri] sets off the festive spirit,” Mandalia said, as the fall season continues with other Hindu holidays, including Diwali, the festival of lights.
This year, LPA raised funds for beneficiaries Munroe Center for the Arts and Vision-Aid, an international nonprofit based in Lexington that supports visually impaired and blind people.
In the past, LPA has supported other organizations, including the Lexington Education Foundation and Cary Memorial Library Foundation.
For younger attendees, the celebration offers an opportunity to preserve this tradition. Sanjana Thesayi, a 16-year-old Lexington resident, said the event lets her celebrate one of the year’s major Hindu holidays.
“It’s a rare event to have all or a good chunk of the Indian population in Lexington all in one place,” Thesayi said. “I think that it’s a really fun way to celebrate my culture even when I’m not usually surrounded by it.”
Thesayi said she looked forward to seeing the colorful outfits. She emphasized that there aren’t many opportunities to celebrate and hopes to continue attending.
“I actually look forward to it as one of the biggest Indian cultural events that I celebrate [each] year,” Thesayi said. “The lively atmosphere and the good food and the music…. it makes for a good time.”