Navaratri

British

/ nævəˈrɑːtrɪ /

noun

Also called: Durga Puja. an annual Hindu festival celebrated over nine days in September-October. Observed throughout India, it commemorates the slaying of demons by Rama and the goddess Durga; in some places it is dedicated to all female deities

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Navaratri

from Sanskrit navaratri nine nights

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The nine-day festival of Navaratri begins next Monday and Diwali is on 24 October.

From BBC • Sep. 21, 2022

The tweet was meant to mark the first day of Navaratri, an auspicious festival for Hindus.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2020

COVID-19 restrictions also are impacting how Hindus celebrate a holy nine-day period called Chaitra Navaratri that began with what for many is considered the Hindu New Year.

From Fox News • Apr. 2, 2020

Hindus are in the midst of a nine-day celebration called Chaitra Navaratri that began in March with what many consider the new year and will culminate April 2 with the festival of Ramanavami.

From Washington Times • Mar. 31, 2020

During his stay, Modi had a dinner meeting with Obama, but he presented White House chefs with a dilemma: he was fasting for Navaratri, a Hindu festival.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 2, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023