Navratri is a nine-day festival celebrated in different ways across India to honor and pray to Goddess Durga. Here are some things you can do during Navratri:

• Visit the temple daily: Worship Goddess Durga daily, light a lamp, offer flowers, and perform aarti to seek blessings of the Goddess.

• Offer water: Offering water to the Goddess is considered to be very auspicious during Navratri.

• Stay barefoot and wear clean clothes: If you are not going out, then stay barefoot inside your home and don’t let shoes/slippers worn outside enter your place. Also, dress up in clean clothes.

• Observe fasts: Fasting is an integral part of Navratri and is done to please the Goddess and seek her blessings. Besides, fasting is a good way to keep the body healthy as it cleanses the body of toxic materials.

• Decorate Goddess Durga: Adorn the Goddess with flowers, garlands, clothes, bangles, etc. .

• Perform Kanya puja on Ashtami: On the eighth day of Navratri, Kanya Pujan is performed where little girls are invited for a treat of halwa puri and worshipped as kanjaks.

• Maintain Brahmacharya: It is advisable to maintain brahmacharya for a period of nine days.

• Do Navratri Puja at home: If you want to perform Navratri puja at home, you can easily do so by following the right methods. It is essential to know all the customs, rituals, and Navratri Puja Samagri required for Navratri puja at home. You can follow these steps:

  1. Clean the area where you will perform the puja.
  2. Place the idol or picture of Goddess Durga on a clean cloth.
  3. Offer saree or a red dupatta to Goddess Durga.
  4. Offer fresh mango leaves, pan, supari, and fruits.
  5. Light incense sticks and offer flowers to Maa Durga.
  6. Offer sweets, raw rice, and vermillion.
  7. Sing the aarti song, jingle the bells, and seek blessings from Maa Durga.

Whether you are fasting or not, it is important to understand the rules and traditions of Navratri. For example, during Navratri, it is advised to skip onion and garlic, not consume alcohol and non-vegetarian food, and not shave or cut nails. Navratri is also a time to withdraw from all sensory activities and rest in yourself. You can do this by practicing silence, fasting, chanting, and meditation.