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Navratri, meaning nine nights is a colourful and ancient festival honouring the Mother Goddess- the Divine Shakti who supports the entire universe, protects worshippers, destroys evil and grants boons to her children. The mother goddess has seven well-known forms, including Kali one of her fiercest manifestations. 

Navratri is held annually in September-October and is celebrated with joy and religious fervour.

The festival is essentially religious in nature and is celebrated with true devotion in the various temples dedicated to the Mother Goddess or Mataji as she is familiarly called. An interesting feature of Navratri is the Garba and the Dandia-Ras dances.

The costumes worn for the dances are traditional and extremely colourful. These dances start very late at night and end in the early hours of the morning.

Dwarka, the city of gold. Dwarka, the abode of Lord Krishna, the city where he reigned for a hundred years. Janmashtami, the day Shri Krishna was born is celebrated with great devotion at the Jagat Mandir a temple built 1400 years ago in Dwarka. Devotees throng in thousands to celebrate this joyous occasion.

Rows of lights are lit everywhere, kirtans and bhajans (devotional songs) are sung, sermons are delivered and Krishna is worshipped in his infant form.

Resting on a knoll in the village of Modhera, the ruins of the 11th century Sun Temple are an impressive sight. The outer walls of the temple are covered with sculptures in which the figures of Lord Surya, the sun god are prominent. 

The Sun Temple is the site of an annual festival of Indian classical dances organized by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat. The idea is to present classical dance forms in an atmosphere they were originally presented in.

The full moon of Bhadrapad is one of the four most important festival days of the year, when farmers and agriculturists come to Ambaji, a place that derives its name from Goddess Ambaji whose shrine is located here. On this occasion, a large fair is organized on full moon days. In the evening, performances of Bhavai, the folk drama of the state is held and Garba programmes are organized. The devout attend readings of the Saptashati, the seven hundred verses in praise of the goddess and visit the temple for a darshan (worship) of her.

The Ambaji shrine is the principal shrine of the goddess in Gujarat and its origins are still unknown. The Temple of Ambaji is recognized as one of the original Shakti Pithas (religious texts) where, according to the ancient Scriptures, the heart of the goddess Ambaji fell to earth when her body was dismembered.

A triangular Vishwa Yantra, inscribed with figures and the syllable 'Shree' in the centre, represents the deity. There is no idol, which in fact testifies the temple's antiquity. Idol worship became popular much later.

The last day of the Hindu year of the Vikram era is celebrated as Diwali or festival of lights all over the State. According to the Purana, Lord Vishnu had rescued Goddess Lakshmi from the hold of King Bali on this day. It is also believed that on this day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya. Sathia(Swastik) and Rangoli (making of attractive designs by coloured powder) marks every courtyard with rows and rows of earthen lamps lighting up the surrounding area and giving a special touch of festivity. Merchants worship Goddess Lakshmi and the books of accounts. At night firecrackers of various types are burnt by youngsters.

The next day or Kartik Sud 1, the first of the Hindu calendar is celebrated as New Years Day with great solemnity.

Holi 

Essentially a spring festival, there are several accounts of how Holi came to be celebrated . By one account demoness Hoda was killed by children, reducing her on a heap which was then lighted, thereby circumventing her boon of immortality. Another version treats it as day when child Krishna had sucked the demoness Putna to death. In yet another version which is popular in Gujarat, Pralhad, the son of the demon King Hiranyakashyap had emerged unhurt from the heap of fire he was made to sit on, in the lap of Holika, who got burnt instead. Thus on a full moon day of Phalgun Sud 15 Holi is celebrated to commemorate the event of one's belief. It is done by lighting a bonfire of wood and cowdung which is erected in a conical shape over a small pit which is dug at the bottom. Such fires are lit on almost all important cross-sections of roads or in the chowk of the villages. Elders predict the coming monsoon on the basis of the direction in which the flag planted atop falls. Devotees offer coconut to the fire and the youth retrieve them amidst an applause of bystanders.

It is also the principal religious festival of Adivasis in Gujarat. They abandon work and indulge in ceaseless folk dancing. The girls observe this festival by growing wheat in the bamboo baskets filled with earth and manure. In some tribes people indulge in the fowlest of abuse and mock fights.

The next day after Holi is Dhuleti or Dhuli Padvo. Literally it means throwing of mud, the practice which has given way to throwing of vermilion. At times the merrymaking lapses into unhindered revelry as youngsters indulge into throwing paste colours, not only on their friends but also on strangers taking advantage of the permissiveness granted on the occasion. As noted earlier Adivasis truly celebrate this festival. In the villages of Panchmahals Adivasi men play a martial game known as Gol-Gadheda in which the women after snatching a shoulder scarf from a man, ties it on a tree top with a lump of molasses. It is the job of the man to retrieve it from there not an easy task as the tree is vigorously guarded by women.The game goes on till one of the men succeed in securing the bundle. Such is the boundless merrymaking of the day.

It is said in the Bhagvath Purana that Kansa had sent Akrur to Gokul for bringing Sri Krishna to Mathura as Krishna had left with his brother Balram by a chariot leaving behind the Gopis and Gopals weeping, the day is celebrated in remembrance of this most touching separation and farewell. 

The mammoth procession of Rath Yatra at Ahmedabad is the biggest in Gujarat. It starts from the Jagdish Mandir situated in the Jamalpur area of the city early in the morning. There are three separate chariots for the idols of Krishna, Balram and their sister Subhadra. The chariots resemble those at Jagannath Puri and are adorned with garlands. Music bands and Bhajan Mandlis lead the procession. Decorated elephants also move with the procession and gymnasts and acrobats perform astonishing feats. Numerous sadhus of all Vaishnavite sects and devotees join in this procession headed by the Mahant of Jagannath Temple.

This festival has a three fold significance. It is the day on which 1. Brahmins change their sacred thread, 2. Sisters tie Rakhi to their brothers, and 3. Sea Faring communities worship the sea. On Shravan Sud 15 when the moon is in the constellation of Shravan, the Brahmins, while changing their sacred thread, rededicate themselves to study the Vedas and pursue spiritual upliftment. Whereas generally the day celebrated by all sections of the Hindu society as a day dedicated to love of sisters for their brothers. The practise of tying the rakhi or the protective knot symbolizing the good wishes, has been an ancient one. Kuntamata of Mahabharat had tied rakhi to her grandson Abhimanyu. Another important historic incident narrates how the queen Jhorabai of Mewad summoned the help of Emperor Humayun against the invading forces of Gujarat Sultan by sending him a rakhi.

The day is also celebrated as Nariyeli Poonam in the coastal areas of the State. The sea farers worship the sea by offering coconuts and set sail after the monsoon break.