• Hindus observe fast and put themselves in feasting mode during the nine-day Navratri Festival
• Fasting makes people much more connected to their inner self
• Ashadha Navratri has started on June 24 this year

June 26, 2017: Who wants to stay hungry, when you have all the access to delicious food? Nobody, still they are some people who feel contented while rejecting their daily food.

Hindus observe fast and put themselves in feasting mode during the nine-day Navratri Festival. Every day of Navratri is dedicated to a special goddess. Navratri Puja is not all about fasting, it's about chanting the name of God and lighting diyas for purity, playing and dancing along with friends, a season of cropping and Hindu pupils' favourite shopping time as these days are considered to be auspicious. At the end of Navratri, devotees invite little girls to their homes and serve them food as a goddess.

Navratri is the special occasion on which fasting and feasting occur simultaneously. People practice great control and cut non-vegetarian diet during this period. Sago, Buckwheat, potato dishes and buttermilk are prepared and consumed during Navratri. Fast is considered to please the goddess, they do support religious reasons.The logic behind the fasting is much more above the spiritual one. Navratri Puja is celebrated during the onset of summers and winters. These two periods marks essential seasonal transformation. According to Ayurveda, consuming meat, onion, garlic and alcohol captivate the negative energies. The body's comparatively weak immune system will make people more prone to fall sick.

Fasting makes people much more connected to their inner self. It helps relax the digestive system which in turn brings precision into one's life. It links one with the divinity within oneself and helps in getting the feel of tranquillity. As you let go your negative energies, all the positivity gets restored and helps concentrate your energies in the right direction. The breaking up of old patterns by changing the food habits you have been following will arouse a different kind of discipline. This discipline helps a person to get rid of evils like lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, fear, jealousy, inertia, hate and guilt.

Also Read: Why India is celebrating 9-Day Hindu Festival and how it is associated with re-incarnations of Goddess Durga?

Altogether fasting helps in effective management of metabolism, purification of body, mind and soul for maintaining well-being, harmony and perfect balance.

Ashadha Navratri Puja has started on June 24 this year. Gupta Navratri and Gayatri Navratri are other names of Ashadha Navratri.

• Goddess Shailputri is worshipped on the first day (Amavasya) of Navratri.
• Goddess Brahmacharini is worshipped on the second day (Dwitiya) of Navratri.
• Goddess Chandraghanta is worshipped on the third day (Tritiya) of Navratri.
• Goddess Kushmanda is worshipped on the fourth day (Chaturthi) of Navratri.
• Goddess Skandamata is worshipped on the fifth day (Panchami) of Navratri.
• Goddess Katyayani is worshipped on the sixth day (Shashthi) of Navratri.
• Goddess Kalaratri is worshipped on the seventh day (Saptami) of Navratri.
• Goddess Durga is worshipped on the eighth day (Ashtami) of Navratri.
• Goddess Siddhidatri is worshipped on the ninth day (Navami) of Navratri.