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In Tamil Nadu the nine nights of the Navaratri celebrations are devoted to three important goddesses, each of which is worshipped in turn for three days - culminating on the tenth big day, Dussehra.
The first goddess revered is Lakshmi, who presides over wealth and prosperity. After her comes Saraswati, goddess of learning and the arts, followed in turn by Durga, the goddess of fertility (to whom the entire festival is dedicated in Bengal).
According to custom, families in Tamil Nadu arrange dolls (Bommai Kolu) on artificially constructed steps decorated with flowers and lights and use them to replay scenes from epics and classics, like the Ramayana. They also sing and improvise stories based around the vignettes represented by the dolls in the tableaux. This custom echoes the Christian nativity scenes and the pesebres that one finds in Hispanic countries.
The tenth and final day of the celebration is considered an auspicious day for children to begin an education in classical dance and music and to pay homage to their teachers and gurus, under the auspices of Saraswati, goddess of learning.
According to custom, families in Tamil Nadu arrange dolls (Bommai Kolu) on artificially constructed steps decorated with flowers and lights and use them to replay scenes from epics and classics, like the Ramayana. They also sing and improvise stories based around the vignettes represented by the dolls in the tableaux. This custom echoes the Christian nativity scenes and the pesebres that one finds in Hispanic countries.
The tenth and final day of the celebration is considered an auspicious day for children to begin an education in classical dance and music and to pay homage to their teachers and gurus, under the auspices of Saraswati, goddess of learning.