West IndiaCommunity FestivalDurgaGujarati · Gujarat
Garba and dandiya raas are the devotional circle dances of Gujarat's Navratri, performed for nine nights around a lamp or image of the Goddess. They are kept during Sharad Navratri, in Ashvina Shukla Pratipada to Navami (September–October), in every town and neighbourhood of Gujarat and across the Gujarati diaspora.
When: Sharad Navratri — Ashvina Shukla Pratipada to Navami (September–October), nine consecutive nights
Where: Throughout Gujarat — streets, temple squares and large grounds — and wherever Gujaratis have settled
Deity: Amba (Durga), the Mother Goddess, honoured as the lamp-lit garbo at the centre of the circle
Observance: Evening aarti to the Goddess followed by hours of circling garba and stick-dance dandiya raas, often with daytime fasting
Regional name: Garba / Garbo and Dandiya Raas (Gujarati); sheri garba for the traditional street form
The garbo and the Goddess
The word garba comes from garbha deep, the 'womb lamp' — an earthen pot pierced with holes, a flame glowing inside, installed at the centre of the dancing ground during Navratri. The pot stands for the body and the created world; the steady flame within is the Devi, the divine energy that animates it. Dancers circle it the way the cosmos circles its source, clapping and turning in rhythm, so the dance itself becomes a form of worship rather than a performance. Dandiya raas, the paired stick dance that usually follows later in the night, carries a different memory: tradition links it to the raas of Krishna and the cowherds of Saurashtra, the region of Gujarat where his Dwarka stood. Over centuries the two streams — the Goddess's circle and Krishna's raas — flowed together into the Navratri nights that Gujarat now shares with the world.
Nine nights in Gujarat
In Gujarat the day belongs to the Goddess and the night to the dance. Many households keep a fast or a single evening meal, and families perform aarti before an image of Amba or the garbo before anyone lifts a foot. The oldest form is sheri garba — neighbourhood garba — where women sing traditional garbas in the street around the lamp, the songs passed from mother to daughter. Alongside it, cities such as Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat host vast organised grounds where thousands dance in concentric rings to live orchestras until well past midnight, dressed in mirrored chaniya choli and kediyu. The circles grow larger night by night, peaking on Ashtami and Navami. The tenth day, Vijayadashami, closes the season with Dussehra worship — and, in true Gujarati fashion, a breakfast of fafda and jalebi.
Keeping garba nights in Ottawa & Canada
Garba travels wherever Gujaratis do, and Canada is no exception: in most Canadian cities, community associations rent school gyms and banquet halls for garba and dandiya nights on the weekends nearest Navratri, open to anyone willing to join the circle. At home, families can keep the heart of the festival simply — establish a small altar or ghatasthapana for the nine nights, offer the evening aarti, and dance to recorded garbas in the living room with children learning the basic three-clap step. October evenings in Ottawa are cool, so the street form becomes an indoor one, but the structure of the observance is unchanged: the Goddess first, then the dance. Check this site's calendar for the exact Navratri tithis each year, since the lunar dates shift against the Gregorian calendar.
Each link opens our computed festival calendar with exact dates and timings for your city.
Questions
What is the difference between garba and dandiya raas?
Garba is danced in circles with clapping and turning movements around the central lamp or image of the Goddess, and is rooted in Devi worship. Dandiya raas is danced in pairs with wooden sticks (dandiya) struck in rhythm, and tradition associates it with Krishna's raas. A typical Navratri night in Gujarat opens with garba and moves to dandiya raas later.
Why do dancers circle a lamp during garba?
The garbo — an earthen pot with a lamp inside — represents the womb of creation with the divine spark of the Devi within it. Circling it expresses that all life revolves around that inner divine energy; the dance is an act of worship, which is why it begins only after the evening aarti.
Can someone who is not Gujarati join a garba night?
Yes. Community garba nights are famously welcoming, and the basic steps are simple enough to pick up within a few songs. Dressing modestly or in Indian wear is appreciated, and it is courteous to join the aarti or stand respectfully while it is performed.
Source: Gujarati community tradition of Navratri, Gujarat. Regional versions may vary — this text follows the version most widely used in community worship.