Navratras

This is a nine-day festival dedicated to the goddess Durga and takes place twice a year. In spring and autumn, which are two very important points of climate change and the influence of solar energy. Mother Durga represents the power of women in Hinduism. As is known in Hinduism, gods are depicted with multiple arms, which is a metaphor for different energies. So when you see Mother Durga with a weapon, it symbolizes protection and not attack. On the other hand, she has a flower, which for example represents softness or taking care of nature. In the religious scriptures, you hear how she fought against injustice and oppression. At the same time, a woman should have several qualities, with both a soft and responsible side. This can be understood in two ways, one is about women standing up for their rights. And the other is about our inner struggle, which deals with morality and ethics.

My temple at home.

During the festival, there is a day for each form of Mother Durga. During these nine days, one is encouraged to "fast" in the form of eating fruits, nuts, potatoes and as a result cleanse the body. Fasting does not mean starving, but rather giving the body proper nourishment by avoiding alcohol, meat, eggs, grains, onions and garlic, among other things. Since a lot of potatoes are eaten, Jeera Alu is a very popular dish in our house.

You can find the recipe a little further down the page here.

---

The days are encouraged to be spent in meditation and prayer. On the other hand, it is not boring, as in the state of Gujarat, for example, it is very common to dress up, dance and have family gatherings. This weekend we will be part of it, so stay tuned :)

Indian bangles that we adorn ourselves with.

---

"Nav" means nine and "rat" means night. For me, these days mean a lot because I get an energy level that is beyond normal and follow these principles. It gives me a lot of joy and well-being because I find inner peace. At the same time, it is something I only do for myself and of course because I believe in it - as I am a religious person. The days also mean that I set aside specific time for this, which gives a good feeling in my otherwise busy everyday life.

My habits and routines involve having a morning and evening session of meditation in my temple at home, through prayer. At this time of year, a lot of guava is eaten in India, especially during these nine days. Furthermore, to get some variety in the diet, I like to toast cashew nuts at home. You can do this by putting them in an oven at 200 degrees until they change color, approx. 10 min. Very good and healthy snack to munch on during the day, in addition easy to bring with you :)