Navaratri, the nine days and nine nights of stupendous festivities observed by the Indians across the world, in reverence of Goddess Shakti or Durga, during the Ashwin month of the Gujarati/ Hindu calendar, has to be lived and experienced to be believed. From the Garba Raas to Dandiya of Gujarat to the Durga Puja of Bengal, the festival is celebrated in all its splendour till late into the night for all 9 days of Navratri. The traditional beats of music, the colourful decorations, the myriad-hued dresses and the dances all are simply breathtaking. Call her Ma Durga, Shakti or Devi, the Goddess is worshipped in each of her nine forms during this splendid, one-of-its-kind nine-day Hindu festival.
In the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, this festival is celebrated by large crowds dancing together, while being watched by even larger crowds on the sidelines. This unique community festival breaks the barriers of status, caste, creed and religion, and invites people from all over the world with a inimitable bonhomie and open arms. No wonder, the festival is known to strengthen the bonds between different people.
Another thing this festival is well known for is the wide window this festival provides to singles looking to mingle. Even the committed/married ones are eager to meet new people and see scores of well-dressed, full of life dancers. No wonder Garba is a great meeting and socialising ground, and being prepared in advance helps! Waiting to have full-on fun this Navratri? Know in advance how various people prefer to celebrate their Navratri, dress up for Garba and more. And, what better way to know it all by using Zodiac Signs’ classification! Read on…
Aries
The Aries-born natives are ruled by the planet Mars. Energetic and confident, often they can be seen celebrating Navratri with full enthusiasm. The Rams have a unique style of playing the Garba. Even in the middle of a whole crowd of people dressed in their best, colourful dresses, Aries individuals wish to stand out. And, when they actually dance to the foot-tapping beats of the Dandiya songs, they get transported to another world, and become totally oblivious of people around them. When the Aries dance, it’s like as if they have merged themselves with the Goddess in whose reverence they are dancing. Aries like to dress as per the dress-code, and score points on this account. So, if it is an out and out traditional Garba night, you will see them in best of the traditional finery. And if it is a fusion dress-code, nothing better the Aries is in full form here too!
Taurus
Sticklers for details, the Bulls are good at managing their affairs to perfection, and so it is with the festival of Navaratri. The Taurus-born natives will plan their Garba night out down to the last detail, be it the pooja pandals, the schedules, the partners, the clothes, the jewellery, accessories and make-up. Since most Taurus individuals are very fashion conscious, you will see them come out in trendiest of the attires of a given Garba season. They will also be very particular about which venues to frequent, will often have a list prepared in advance, complete with directions, and will be dot on time. Even if they may come across as too traditional in their approach to many, when it’s about Navratri and having fun, most Taurus natives love to experiment and will not hesitate in performing Dandiya in myriad styles. They may even join a class before Navratri to ensure they are well-prepared.
Gemini
The Twins personify grace. Known to seldom display their real emotions, despite being quite chatty and friendly, Gemini-born love to meet new people, and what better time for this than Navratri and Garba. It is the time when, without worrying about letting their guards down in front of the people they know, the Gemini individuals can meet many new people, make friends with many and leave behind many, whom they didn’t like. Since Geminis are candid, you may also see them volunteering to help correct the Garba steps of a struggling novice. However, this goes without saying that the Twins are image-conscious. So, during Garba and Durga Pooja, you will find them turning up in well-thought of, well-coordinated dresses. Fusion is what they do the best, when it comes to dressing for Garba. But, hardly will you ever find a Gemini fussing endlessly in front of a mirror. While dancing, though, they go on endlessly, with abandon, and are, thus, a treat to the watching eye. Yet, they still continue to maintain their famous cool and detached demeanour.
Cancer
The Crabs are ruled by the Moon, and what sets them apart from others is their punctuality, even while they are planning for fun. You will find them at the Garba venue always on time, and on many occasions even before time, so they can gauge the atmosphere, both from the point of view of the performer and the point of view of the audience. The dress sense of the Cancer-born natives is not too loud, and people watching them will be impressed by their sartorial sense. The Crabs are spontaneous and rely a great deal on their intuition, even while dressing up for the Garba or playing it. They will master the usual steps, but will not shy away from experimenting with new ones too, in which they will involve their close friends, and together, they can appear to be an outstanding group within the whole crowd of dancers. They may also improvise with objects other than the usual sticks used for performing Dandiya.
Leo
The Lions are very enthusiastic about celebrating the festival of nine-nights, preparing for it well in advance. They will probably have nine costumes ready for each of the nine nights. They love to play the Garba as well as watch others play. The Leo-born are also very helpful, and when they see some of their friends struggling with the dance steps, they will be more than glad to teach them how to do it rightly, as they themselves are very skilled with the whole range of Garba dance styles. Although they are not very choosy about the style-quotient of their dress, the Lions may demand that other members of their group follow the dress-code they set. They have vast reserves of energy and are extremely optimistic in their outlook, qualities which are very infectious and can really charge up their entire group to raise their performance to new heights. In fact, don’t be surprised if you see them departing with the best Garba dancer of the day award.
Virgo
The perfectionists of the Zodiac, the Virgo-born will not experiment with different Garba styles, but once they have learned one style they will practice it till they gain perfection, and then they will stick to it. To be fit and adept at the dance form during the festival, they may start practising for the Garba months, in advance. They are beautiful people and when they go out into the arena to play, their grace and style can be very captivating. They love to dance in large groups, and shall also have lots of fun even when on the sidelines. The Virgo-born natives are very intelligent and practical, and it will not be surprising to see them using the opportunity these get-togethers offer during breaks to discuss the latest political situation in the country, or the latest news from the entertainment industry. You might also see them analysing the Garba style of other prominent members in the crowd threadbare.
Libra
The Scales, with Venus as their ruling planet, love to be the centre of attraction in public places. It is for this reason that they are very image conscious, and will dress up in season’s latest in bright and attractive colours. It must be said that they can easily carry off even the fanciest of outfits, because they are very self-confident, stylish people. You will never see them sitting or standing idle, but, like their element air, they will keep flitting from one place to another, from one group to another, and will have lots of fun in the process. Even if they are not the best-dressed people in the crowd, since they are very charming, the Libra-born natives will probably attract more people than the best-dressed ones. They are romantics at heart, and one of the primary attractions of this nine-day festival for them is the chance it gives them to go around painting the town red.
Scorpio
The Scorpio-born natives may not be too skillful at the Garba dance, but they enjoy the Navratri festival to the hilt. They are not too particular about the steps of the dance; what matters more to them is the spirit of festivity. They move in large groups, and will never let a friend down by not turning up at the mutually agreed time or the venue. They are very energetic and enthusiastic, and will experiment with different Garba dance styles. Also, since they are very loyal to people close to them, they will not disappoint any particular friend, and will give everyone their equal attention, even if it is for a short duration. The Scorpio-born people can be very ambitious, and if they happen to be in the organising committee of the Garba of their society, they will probably try to win the best Garba of the town award, or at least the reputation for it.
Sagittarius
The Archers have a philosophical outlook on life. They tend to think a lot before they attempt anything, and so it is with the Garba dance too. They will always think two or three steps ahead. The Sagittarius-born people do not care too much about how they look, so they do not lay too much store by clothing. However, they enjoy playing Garba to the hilt, energetic as they are. Also, the Archers will not shy away from experimenting, whether it is with the attire or with the dance style. They will try different steps, or different costume styles without any inhibitions, even if other people think it is outrageous. Apart from playing Garba, the Archers love to enjoy all the culinary delicacies prepared during the nine-day long festival. They will specially set apart some money to spend with their friends at the eatery kiosks set up at the Garba venues.
Capricorn
The Capricorn-born natives are ruled by Saturn, and go all out while enjoying the festival of Navratri, regardless of whether they know how to play the Garba or not. The Goats are open minded and will keenly listen to the suggestions given by their friends about how to dress up for Garba, and will even implement the suggestions. However, they are very cautious by nature, and will thus avoid dressing up too much for the Garba; unconventional is not what they will go for. Yet, the Cappies are naturally stylish and their classic tastes are more than enough to help them pick up just the best stuff. Plus, the Goats are not too self-conscious, so they will not care at all whether they are dancing well or not; they will be happy just to join steps to the foot-tapping music and enjoy themselves in the company of their friends. The Goats are also a very patient lot. They realise that things take time to materialise, so if they set their mind to learn the Garba steps, they will begin learning well in advance.
Aquarius
The Water-Carriers are ruled by the planet Saturn, and when it comes to celebrating Navratri, or for that matter any festival, they never go by the rule-book or set conventions. Although they take a lot of time in getting decked up for the Garbas, they are punctual, and will never keep you waiting. They can be thoroughly extroverted, and will not shy away from experimenting with their dance style. In fact, they will try out the peculiar steps of all of their friends. They will thoroughly enjoy the festivities. Deep inside, the Aquarius-born natives are compassionate and have a humanitarian streak, so if they see a friend struggling to do the Garba, they will not criticise him/her, but will politely make him/her realise that it is the spirit of the festival that counts more than the perfection in their Garba dancing style. The bottom-line for them is always to enjoy the festival to the hilt.
Pisces
The eternal dreamers of the Zodiac, the Pisces-born natives are nevertheless a jovial lot, and do their best to spread the laughter and joy everywhere they go. The Fish are very emotional, and tend to celebrate festivals with a lot of gusto. And in a festival like Navratri, they love to dress up in their best clothes. They very likely will buy a new pair or two for the festival. They take their own sweet time to get dressed up for the long nights of Garba dancing, but out in the arena they shed all their inhibitions and can even be very innovative in their Garba steps. The Fish are a romantic lot, and a Fish who is single will most probably be on the lookout for that ideal soul-mate during the Garbas, so don’t be surprised if you see one turning up in different groups on different days to see if someone fits their bill.
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With Ganesha’s Grace,
Shri Dharmesh Joshi
The GaneshaSpeaks Team