Dasara, << DUH suh ruh, >> also spelled Dasahra, Dashahara, or Dussehra, is a Hindu festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Dasara falls during Ashvina, the seventh month of the Hindu lunar calendar. On the calendar used in Western countries, it falls in September or October.
Dasara is a 10-day festival observed in northern India. It is a variation of the Durga Puja festival, which honors the goddess Durga in each of her nine forms. In southern India, the festival is known as Navaratri, and in Nepal, it is called Dasain. According to Hindu tradition, Durga defeated the demon Mahishasura. Dasara also celebrates the victory of Rama, the hero of the ancient Sanskrit poem the Ramayana, over the demon Ravana. In the Ramayana, Ravana disguises himself and kidnaps Rama’s wife, Sita. Rama then assembles an army of monkeys to rescue Sita. For Hindus, the story promotes the ideal traits of dutifulness, loyalty, and obedience.
Celebrations of Dasara vary widely. In many parts of India, Hindus enact events from Rama’s life in large-scale dramas called Rama Lila, meaning Rama’s play. Processions that include floats make their way to open areas, where men and boys dressed as Rama fire flaming arrows into giant models of Ravana and his kinsfolk. In southern India, during Navaratri, women take on leadership roles and are honored. Hindus decorate their homes with dolls called kolu that represent sacred figures and women visit each other. In the northwestern state of Gujarat, women dance around a clay pot containing a flame that represents Durga.
