BEGINNING OF 9-DAY FEST
Navratri celebration continues in Jersey City

Monday, October 11, 2010
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Hundreds of Hindus celebrated Navratri this past weekend on Newark Avenue in Jersey City.

Newark Avenue, just off Kennedy Boulevard, was closed to traffic Friday and Saturday nights. The music began around 7:30 p.m. and people stayed until 2 a.m.

Navratri, or nine nights, is a nine-day celebration of one of the most important Hindu religious festivals. The festival, held in honor of Dur ga, the goddess Hindus believe symbolozes strength and power, is the single most important religious festival of the Hindu calendar.

During the nine nights, devotees perform devi-sthaapana, or the symbolic installation of the goddess in their homes, and pray. In deference to this tradition, most people fast during the nine days, drinking only milk or eating fruits at night and performing a variety of rituals to please the goddess.

The festival will continue this Friday and Saturday nights.

It does run late. I've driven by in past years well after midnight and there are thousands of people on those few blocks. It's quite a sight.

If they are fasting does this mean no food vendors??

If you go, plan to get there later in the evening. We stopped by Saturday eve but we were too early. Got there after the Irish fest, had dinner and by 9:30 they were still setting up. We left at that point (drizzle) but you could tell that it was going to be a great time. I'll try again next week just a bit later.

Navratri festival features song and dance in JC's India Square

The block of Newark Avenue in Jersey City between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue known as "Little India," was the center of one big religious and cultural block party this past Friday and Saturday, and will continue next weekend Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3.

It is a street festival that will see singing and dancing performances, worship services and appearances by politicians such as Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Governor Jon Corzine. Up to 10,000 people are estimated to attend each day of the festival.

Navaratri is a traditional nine-day celebration in which nine Hindu goddesses are worshipped, and it is considered a period for observers to fast and engage in introspection.

The Navaratri event in Jersey City has taken place since 2002, and this year's event is free of charge and jointly hosted by the Jersey City Asian Merchant Association (JCAMA) with Govinda Sanskar Center, the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, and Jersey City's Urban Enterprise Zone.

Raj Patel, the president of the JCAMA, is a Gujarat native. This celebration helps him keep in touch with a tradition that he still appreciates.

"It's wonderful to celebrate this outdoors, just it is done in India, and helps me stay close with my culture and faith," Patel said. - RK