Navratri 2019 begins from 29 September and will last till October 7. The nine-night festival is also known as Durga Utsav or Durga Puja in some states of India is one of the most awaited celebrations of India. Each day of the festival is dedicated to one Goddess Durga incarnation namely, Goddess Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmandal, Skandmata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhatri. The celebration offers prayers to Goddess Durga also known as Maa Durga and Maa Shakti. For people wondering when Sharad Navratri is celebrated and the dates of the festival commencing, you might want to check out Sharad Navratri 2019 date and other information. As per the Hindu calendar, the nine-night festival is observed on the Pratipada tithi of Ashwin Shukla Paksha.

One of the most unique things about Sharad Navratri celebration is that every year a colour chart is followed to celebrate the festivity. A colour is chosen for each day of the nine-day long celebration and people are supposed to follow it. You can follow the colour chart by wearing that colour or even making food of that colour. The idea is to make it more of a community celebration that includes one and all. Here's the list of colours for Navratri 2019:

  • Navratri Day 1 (September 29) - Orange
  • Navratri Day 2 (September 30) - White
  • Navratri Day 3 (October 01) - Red
  • Navratri Day 4 (October 02) - Royal Blue
  • Navratri Day 5 (October 03) - Yellow
  • Navratri Day 6 (October 04) - Green
  • Navratri Day 7 (October 05) - Grey
  • Navratri Day 8 (October 06) - Purple
  • Navratri Day 9 (October 07) - Peacock Green

If you are someone who wants to cook each day of Navratri according to the colour chart, we are here to help you out. Let's start with day 1 recipe representing the colour orange. The first thing that comes to our mind is the super yummy Gajar Ka HalwaNavratri 2019 Colours List for Nine Days: Complete Colour Chart to Celebrate a Sharad Navratri With Dates and Day-Wise Navdurga Puja. 

Ingredients:

5-6 large carrots (gajar)

Three tablespoons ghee

1 cup milk

¾ cup of sugar

¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder

½ cup khoya

One tablespoon raisins

3-4 almonds,

slivered 5-6 cashew nuts, roughly chopped

One tablespoon blanched and chopped pistachios for garnishing

Silver vark (silver leaf) for garnishing

Method

  • Grate carrots and keep aside.
  • Heat ghee in a deep non-stick pan.
  • Add grated carrots, mix and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally — cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add milk, mix, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add cardamom powder and mix.
  • Add khoya and mix till it melts.
  • Now, add one tablespoon raisins, almonds, cashew nuts and one tablespoon pistachios and mix well.
  • Serve hot garnished with pistachios, raisins and silver vark (silver leaf).

How to Make Gajar Ka Halwa [Watch Video]:

Sharada Navratri is also celebrated as Durga Puja in West Bengal and other areas in Eastern India. Durga Puja is a food-fest along with being an extravagant affair.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 28, 2019 11:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).