Sharad Navratri is the most widely kept of the year's four Navratris. Over nine nights the goddess is worshipped in her successive forms, a lamp or a pot of sprouting grain is maintained without interruption, and many households fast on grain and pulses. The eighth and ninth days carry special weight, and young girls are honoured as embodiments of the goddess in the Kanya Puja.
The festival begins on the first tithi (Pratipada) of the waxing fortnight of Ashwina and runs through the ninth. The opening rite, Ghatasthapana, is performed in a window during the first third of the day while Pratipada prevails, avoiding the Chitra nakshatra and Vaidhriti yoga, so the start time depends on the city.
Regional expression differs sharply: Bengal, Assam and Odisha keep the last days as Durga Puja with large public pandals, Gujarat is known for nightly garba, and much of the north closes the festival with Ram Lila plays and the burning of Ravana's effigy.