What Is Navratri?
Navratri (नवरात्रि) means ‘nine nights’ in Sanskrit — nava (nine) and ratri (nights). It is one of the most important and widely celebrated Hindu festivals in India and across the South Asian diaspora, dedicated to the worship of the goddess Durga in her nine forms (Navadurga). Navratri is celebrated four times a year according to the Hindu lunar calendar, but the two most significant are Sharada Navratri (autumn, the most widely observed) and Chaitra Navratri (spring).
All Navratri food and fasting ingredients are available at MasalaMart for UK delivery.
When Is Navratri Celebrated?
Sharada Navratri — The Main Navratri (Autumn)
Sharada Navratri is the principal Navratri, celebrated in the Hindu month of Ashwin — falling in September or October in the Gregorian calendar. In 2026, Sharada Navratri runs from 21–30 October. This is the Navratri most people refer to when they say ‘Navratri’ without qualification.
Sharada Navratri coincides with and leads directly into Dussehra / Vijayadashami — the tenth day (Dashami) that celebrates Rama’s victory over Ravana and, in Nepal, is celebrated as Dashain. Navratri and Dashain/Dussehra are part of the same festival continuum across South Asia.
Chaitra Navratri — Spring Navratri
Chaitra Navratri falls in March or April, at the start of the Hindu new year. It is widely observed in North India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan, and is associated with the worship of Rama alongside Durga.
Gupta Navratri
Two additional Navratris — Magha (January/February) and Ashadha (June/July) — are observed more quietly, primarily by tantric practitioners and devout worshippers. These are called Gupta (hidden) Navratri.
How Is Navratri Celebrated?
Nine Days of Goddess Worship
Each of the nine days of Navratri is dedicated to a specific form of Durga — Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. Devotees perform daily puja (worship), recite the Durga Saptashati (700 verses in praise of Durga), and in many communities maintain fasts for part or all of the nine days.
Garba and Dandiya Raas
In Gujarat and among Gujarati communities worldwide, Navratri is celebrated with Garba — devotional circular dance performed around an image of Durga — and Dandiya Raas, a stick dance performed to celebrate Durga’s battle with the demon Mahishasura. Navratri Garba events are among the most attended cultural events in the UK South Asian social calendar, drawing thousands of participants across cities including Leicester, Birmingham, and London.
Kolu / Golu — South Indian Doll Display
In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, Navratri is celebrated with Kolu (also called Golu) — an elaborate display of dolls and figurines on stepped platforms, representing the divine world. Families invite neighbours to view the Kolu display and offer them sundal (spiced legume dishes) as prasad.
Navratri Fasting Foods — What Is Eaten During Navratri?
Navratri fasting (vrat) involves avoiding grains (wheat, rice), regular salt, onion, garlic, and meat. The permitted foods — called vrat ka khana (fasting foods) — are a distinctive and delicious subset of Indian cooking:
- Sabudana (tapioca pearls): The most iconic Navratri food — soaked sabudana cooked with peanuts, green chilli, cumin, and rock salt. Sabudana khichdi, sabudana vada (fried patties), and sabudana kheer are all Navratri staples
- Singhara atta (water chestnut flour): Used for puris, halwa, and pancakes during the fast — gluten-free and permitted during vrat
- Kuttu atta (buckwheat flour): The most widely used fasting flour — kuttu ki puri (buckwheat puris) and kuttu ka pakora are Navratri classics across North India
- Sendha namak (rock salt): Regular table salt is avoided during vrat; sendha namak (rock/Himalayan salt) is the permitted alternative
- Rajgira (amaranth): Rajgira flour for rotis and halwa; whole amaranth for porridge
- Makhana (fox nuts / lotus seeds): Roasted makhana in ghee is a popular Navratri snack; makhana kheer is a festival sweet
- Sama rice (barnyard millet): The permitted ‘rice’ during Navratri fast — cooked like regular rice and served with dahi (yoghurt)
- Dahi (yoghurt): Permitted during vrat and served alongside most Navratri fasting dishes
- Fruits: All fruits are fully permitted and widely eaten during the fast
- Peanuts: A key protein source during Navratri fasting — added to sabudana khichdi and eaten roasted as snacks
Navratri Prasad — The Sacred Festival Sweets
On Ashtami (eighth day) and Navami (ninth day), the Kanya Puja is performed — young girls (representing the nine forms of Durga) are invited to homes, their feet washed, and they are offered prasad: halwa (semolina sweet), puri (fried bread), and chana (spiced chickpeas). This combination — halwa, puri, chana — is the defining Navratri prasad of North India and is prepared in virtually every Hindu household on these two days.
Navratri in the UK
The UK’s large Hindu community — primarily Gujarati, Punjabi, and South Indian — celebrates Navratri with great enthusiasm. Garba events run across Leicester, Birmingham, London, and other cities throughout the nine nights. Fasting foods including sabudana, kuttu atta, singhara atta, sendha namak, and makhana are in high demand throughout the Navratri period.
At MasalaMart, we stock the full range of Navratri fasting ingredients — sabudana, kuttu atta, singhara atta, sendha namak, sama rice, makhana, and rajgira — delivered across the UK with free delivery on orders over £50.
Shop Navratri Fasting Foods at MasalaMart →
Navratri 2026 Shopping List
- ✅ Sabudana (tapioca pearls) — for khichdi, vada, kheer
- ✅ Kuttu atta (buckwheat flour) — for puri and pakora
- ✅ Singhara atta (water chestnut flour) — for halwa and puri
- ✅ Sendha namak (rock salt) — the only permitted salt during vrat
- ✅ Makhana (fox nuts) — for roasted snacks and kheer
- ✅ Sama rice (barnyard millet) — the fasting rice substitute
- ✅ Rajgira (amaranth flour) — for roti and halwa
- ✅ Peanuts — protein staple of Navratri fasting