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Navaratri
The festival of nine nights in October, preceding the Dussera is a special
feature of Gujarat when people assemble in village squares and temple
compounds and sing and dance till the wee hours in the morning. They worship
the mother goddess and her numerous manifestations during the festival.
The festival ends on the Dussera day, when artisans worship their instruments,
agriculturists their ploughs, warriors their weapons and students their
books. The Navaratri festival is closely followed by the Sharad Purnima,
the full moon night in the Asvina month, when under the moon light people
partake of prasad rice and milk. The people of Surat make merry on the
Tapi bank.
Gujarat has two temples dedicated to two most popular
mother goddesses of Gujarat, Amba Mata and Becharji Mata. On Kartika and
Chaitra Purnima days and during the Navaratri days, people visit
these temples and enjoy Gujarati's typical folk drama, the Bhavai.
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