Navratri 2024 Dos And Don'ts: Why Onion And Garlic Are Banned For 9 Days Of Festivity!

The much-awaited auspicious occasion of Navratri is here. This year, Maa Durga will be worshipped for 9 long days beginning October 3 with Dussehra falling on the 12th. The 9-day festivity is dedicated to Maa Durga and her nine avatars are prayed to during this time. 

Navratri coincides with Durga Puja or Pujo (As Bengalis would call it) — and both celebrate the victory of good over evil. Durga Puja is the major festival of the Bengali community and is widely celebrated across the globe. Durga Puja festivity begins on October 9-October 13, 2024.

In Navratri (be it Chaitra or Sharad), the first thing which goes straight out of the kitchen are a few food items ( read ONION and GARLIC) which are embargoed for these 9 days. But have you ever wondered why? We tried digging deeper into it this time.

In Hinduism, food items are categorised into three parts namely Rajasic, Tamasic and Sattvik Bhojan. It is believed that Sattvik food items are the ones that provide spiritual advancement—this puts all the vegetarian food items, with few exceptions, into the Sattvik category.

Sattvic diet gives importance to seasonal foods, fruits, dairy products, nuts, seeds, oils, ripe vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and non-meat-based proteins.

Rajasic food items, on the other hand, have a stimulating effect on the body and mind. It has neither a positive nor a negative impact on the body. It includes fried items, strong-tasting spices, sweets, curd, brinjal, carrot-radish, urad, lemon, lentils, tea-coffee, and pan.

Food that harms the mind or body is considered to be Tamasic in nature. It is believed to cause mental dullness. Since onion and garlic are classified as Tamasic in nature, they are prohibited during the nine-day-long holy festival.

So now you know why 'onion-garlic' stays out of your kitchens during Navratri.

There are four types of Navratri throughout the year, each falling in a particular season.

However, the most common and widely celebrated Navratri happens to be Sharad or Shardiya Navratri (September-October) and Chaitra Navratri (March-April) respectively. Now, during the nine-day long Hindu festival of Maa Durga, devotees observe fast and pray to the goddess seeking her blessings.