Navratri is one of the most revered festivals celebrated in India bi-annually. The name derives from the conglomeration of two Sanskrit words - Nava (nine) and Ratri (nights). As the name suggests, this festival spans nine nights and ten days and is dedicated to the nine avatars of the Mother Goddess Durga. The upcoming Sharad Navratri, also known as Durga Puja culminates with Vijayadashmi on the tenth day.

Keeping in mind the celebration of the triumph of good over evil, one of the ways each household in India practices a part of it is, by decorating the house with colours and flowers associated with Navratri, as well as natural light to ward off evil.

This Navratri, discard negative energy from your home, in the easiest way so that your house emits positivity, warmth, and gracefulness. This article helps you with some excellent ideas to make the nine-day-long festival cheerful, traditional, and eco-friendly.

Toran

Torana or Toran is a decorative hanging, tied with flowers and leaves on the door, as a part of the traditional culture in Hinduism during festivals or occasions. As per Vaastu, hanging a toran helps to gain prosperity and maintain a balance of energy in the house. This Navratri, real flowers can be put together as a Toran rather than buying an artificial Toran, as it is refreshing when one enters the house and reduces the stress of storing them after being utilized. While yellow and orange marigold flowers are commonly used, one can use hibiscus, chrysanthemums, lotus, jasmine, yellow rose, passiflora, mogra, and Champa.

Rangoli

An extremely renowned art form practised in India, a Rangoli is usually created on the floor using powdered or semi-liquid materials, and flowers. As per Vaastu, creating a rangoli encourages positivity and warmth.

This Navratri, It is advisable to use natural materials, as they are environmentally friendly. Some examples are powdered rice, charcoal, dried leaves, flour, flower petals, turmeric, and vermillion.

Incorporating all types of materials or either would be your choice. However, it is advised to utilise flowers or liquid/semi-liquid forms of powdered natural materials to create a rangoli. As compared to powdered materials, they're the least messy. The above idea can be replicated to create the auspicious Swastika symbol and the Shubh-Labh on the door or the doorway.

Diyas

An Indian festival would not be complete without the lighting of a Diya. Throughout the festive season, numerous diyas are lit to keep up with the festive radiance. If you want to set an ordinary clay Diya with some quirkiness, you can

Opt for traditional or modern designer candle stands to place diyas on. Or opt for a conventional crafted metallic or clay Diya. You can also place them only at the doorways and puja area. As they're distinctive in shape and design, have a few of them placed appropriately.

Or, instead of choosing the commonly used simple clay diyas, you can use diyas such as tulsi vase-shaped diyas, hanging lantern clay diyas, Kutchi clay Diyas, or pot-shaped clay Diyas.

Fairy Lights

They are made up of multiple smaller-sized LED lights strung together by wires, and ropes These can be placed outside the doorway, in the puja area, and on windows. Placing fairy lights in an earthen pot with holes or transparent jars can dial up the uniqueness of your Navratri decorations.

Uruli (Floral Water Bowls / Pots)

Uruli or Floral Water Bowls are one of the best desi adornments, irrespective of whether there is a festival or occasion. It is a large singular pot usually put atop a centre table, near the puja area, or doorway, and filled with water & flowers. As per Vaastu, water denotes wealth, and storing it in a uruli covered with flowers is considered highly auspicious and refreshing for a home.

Aesthetic Bonus - Add scented oils to create a fresh aroma in the room. Place tea candles to be floated to create enjoyable festive vibes.

Fragrance - Potpourri

The aesthetically pleasing and safest alternative to inflammable air fresheners, Potpourri is a mixture of dried flowers, leaves, herbs, and spices, which are aromatic and fragrant. They have been in use since ancient times, and their shelf life ranges from 2 months to 20 years, depending on the blend of plants and spices.

They're generally placed on the table, inside a drawer, cabinet, porcelain vase, or in an enclosed container. Usually, the blend is inside an enclosed container for slower and long-lasting fragrance diffusion.

There is a vast list of ingredients to blend into a Potpourri. Some of them are cinnamon bark, cloves, jasmine flowers & oil, lemon peel, leaves & flowers of lavender, mint, and rosemary.

Things to Remember:

• When decorating for Navratri or any festival remember that most of the decor should be light-weighted, making it easier to organize and disorganize them.
• If there is a need for additional space for guests or a larger puja area, rearrange the furniture.
• The most decorated areas are the entrance and the puja area/room of a house. While decorating the entrance and puja area, avoid putting too many decorations.
• Keep it colourful by incorporating all the nine colours of Navratri through the use of patterns on walls and furniture.
• Do not forget to replace the flowers, oil in diyas/lamps, and water in pots every 2-3 days.