Significance of colours in Navratri: The festival of 9 hues

The nine-day long festival of dance and colour has many stories to tell. Find out the significance of colours in Navratri festival

What do the colours of Navratri mean?

As a little girl, I always looked forward to the Navratris. The fervour of this nine-day long celebration excited me more than Diwali, as it meant dressing up in colourful costumes and dancing the garba with friends. All of us would dress up in a particular colour each day, and would wait to admire each other’s colour-coded costumes.

It was during this time each year that my grandmother answered my incessant questions about significance of each of the nine days. "Each day is dedicated to the nine forms of Goddess Durga. She would represent different qualities and is dressed in a particular colour,” my grandmother would explain. Now when my children ask me questions about Navratri, I try my best to do justice to grandma’s stories. If you too want to know what each colour of the festival of nine auspicious nights signifies, we’ve tried to spell it out for you. Click on next.

Day 1: Pratipada - Colour Red

On the first day of Navratri, which is also known as Pratipada, the Goddess is worshipped as Shailputri, meaning the daughter of the mountains. It is in this form that the Goddess was worshipped as Lord Shiva’s consort. The colour for this day - red, depicts action and vigour. The warmth of this colour is an ideal way to gear up for this festival.

Day 2: Dwitiya - Royal Blue

The goddess assumes the form of Brahmacharini on the second day of Navratri. In this form, she grants happiness and prosperity with spiritual grace. The blue of the peacock feather is the colour of this day. It is synonymous with with a calm yet powerful energy.

Day 3: Tritiya - Yellow

Chandraghanta, or the goddess with a half moon on the forehead, represents beauty and bravery. She stands for strength to fight the demons. This happy colour can light up the room and everyone’s hearts.

Day 4: Chathurthi - Green

According to Hindu mythology, the goddess assumes the form of Kushmanda on this day. It is believed that Kushmanda created the universe through a bout of laughter and made it verdant with vegetation, hence the green colour.

Day 5: Panchmi - Grey

Dressed in grey, Goddess Durga manifests in the avatar of Skand Mata on day five. She is seen holding an infant Lord Karthik in her arms. The colour grey indicates the vulnerability of a mother, who can turn into a storm cloud when the need arises, to protect her child from danger.

Day 6: Shasthi - Orange

The goddess represents the form of Katyayani on the sixth day. As the story in the scriptures go, a sage named Kata performed a penance as he wished to have the goddess in the form of his own daughter. The goddess, moved by his devotion, granted him his boon. She was born as Kata, dressed in orange exhibiting immense courage.

Day 7: Saptami - White

This day is dedicated to the most fierce form of Goddess Durga. Dressed as Kalratri, she has anger in her eyes and is as black as the night. She is dressed in white, signifying that she will protect her devotees from harm. White embodies peace and prayer.

Day 8: Ashtami - Pink

An epitome of beauty and grace, the goddess is dressed in pink on the eighth day of the festival. She is said to destroy all the sins of time. The colour pink denotes hope and a fresh start.

Day 9: Navami - Light Blue

Dressed in the colour of the crisp, blue sky, the goddess assumes the form of Siddhidatri on Navami. She, in this form has supernatural healing powers. The goddess is shown to be in a blissful state, just like the sky on a clear day. The colour represents a wonderment towards the beauty of nature.

This nine colours of Navratri collectively embody the spirit of a woman, who possess the grace and the valour of the goddess herself. This Navratri, celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and ring in new beginnings.