Tourist Attaraction

Navratri Puja

Gujarat is a very colorful place, there are so many festivals celebrated in Gujarat. The two biggest festivals Navratri, and Uttarayan really caught my attention. First of all Navratri is celebrated for nine nights, and it usually comes in September or October. It is one the most popular and widely celebrated in India and it is perhaps the longest lasting festival in the world. Each night the village or urban neighborhood gather together to perform puja to one of the nine forms of goddess. Then for all the nine nights’ people gather in open spaces to celebrate feminine divinity and dance, the dance form is known as Raas Garba. Usually on the nine days of Navratri it is a tradition to make sabudana vada and sabudana khichadi (Pearl tapioca), you also have to make kheer (rice pudding) and halwa for dessert. During these days you are strictly not allowed to eat non- vegetarian food, and onion garlic. After navratri come Uttarayan, it is the festival of kites it is celebrated on January 14^th, it marks the end of winter and beginning of summer in India. Every shop is shut down that day because everyone is spending time with their family. From 9 in the morning there are all kinds of various sizes and shapes of kites flying. The main competition is to battle nearby kite flyers to cut their strings and bring down their kites, the preparation to make kites start from November. The atmosphere is so welcoming and festive, that the day of Uttarayan particularly the whole family gathers on the rooftop to socialize and have a mouth devouring lunch with the neighbors and family members. On that day you have a very delicious meal, moms start cooking early in the morning and make undhiyu (type of vegetable curry), rice, and ladoos made of jaggery. You also make til papdi ( roasted sesame seeds in jaggery), then you also make murmura lodoo's( puffed rice).  It is probably the best and colorful day ever in the whole world, you just become fascinated by looking at the sky  and the four years I've celebrated this festival, and I had the best time of my life. The best place to stay during both the festivals would be in the lemon tree hotel Ahmedabad, it is a very luxurious hotel. The prices vary if you buy a standard room (2 king beds, 2 twin beds) or you buy an executive bedroom which is costlier. The price for standard bedroom is $69 per day, and for executive $119 per day. It is a good hotel to stay in because it is very close to the navratri ground, and the uttarayan ground where you fly kites. It is located on 434/1, Mithakali Six Cross Roads, Ahmedabad.
http://www.expedia.ca/Ahmedabad-Hotels-Lemon-Tree-Hotel.h2192253.Hotel-Information?&chkin=11/01/2014&chkout=16/01/2014&rm1=a2&icmcid=TRIPA.Expedia_CA-DM_B28.10568.B&icm check link for more information

Uttarayan Kites