Why is NAVARATRI ONE MONTH late this year (2020)?

NAVARATRI  is a Hindu festival that spans nine nights (and ten days) and is celebrated every year in the autumn. It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian cultural sphere. 

Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratri. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri that is the most observed in the honor of the divine feminine Devi (Durga). The festival is celebrated in the bright half of the Hindu calendar month Ashvin, which typically falls in the months of September and October.

1. Sharada Navaratri: the most celebrated of the four Navaratri, named after Sharada which means autumn. It is observed the lunar month of Ashvin (post-monsoon, September–October). In many regions, the festival falls after the autumn harvest, and in others during harvest.
2. Vasanta Navaratri: the second most celebrated, named after vasanta which means spring. It is observed the lunar month of Chaitra (post-winter, March–April). In many regions the festival falls after spring harvest, and in others during harvest
3. Magha Navaratri: in Magha (January–February), winter season. The fifth day of this festival is often independently observed as Vasant Panchami or Basant Panchami, the official start of spring in the Hindu tradition wherein goddess Saraswati is revered through arts, music, writing, kite flying. In some regions, the Hindu god of love, Kama is revered.
4. Ashada Navaratri: in Ashadha (June–July), the start of the monsoon season.

In the eastern and northeastern states of India, the Durga Puja is synonymous with Navaratri, wherein goddess Durga battles and emerges victorious over the buffalo demon to help restore Dharma. In the northern and western states, the festival is synonymous with “Rama Lila” and Dussehra that celebrates the battle and victory of god Rama over the demon king Ravana. In southern states, the victory of different forms of goddesses DURGA is celebrated. In all cases, the common theme is the battle and victory of Good over Evil based on a regionally famous epic or legend such as the Ramayana or the Devi Mahatmya.

Celebrations include stage decorations, recital of the legend, enacting of the story, and chanting of the scriptures of Hinduism. The nine days are also a major crop season cultural event, such as competitive design and staging of pandals, a family visit to these pandals and the public celebration of classical and folk dances of Hindu culture. On the final day, called the Vijayadashami or Dussehra, the statues are either immersed in a water body such as river and ocean, or alternatively the statue symbolizing the evil is burnt with fireworks marking evil’s destruction. The festival also starts the preparation for one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays, Diwali, the festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days after the Vijayadashami or Dussehra

MAHALAYA PAKSHA happens in the WANING period of the MOON (KRISHNA PAKSHA) in the LUNAR MONTH of BHADRAPADA, then there’s the MAHALAYAPAKSHA AMAVASYA and the 1st day after AMAVASYA – which is called PRATIPAT/PRATHAMAI, becomes the 1st day of NAVARATRI

In 2020 NAVARATRI celebrations will start an ENTIRE MONTH after the MAHALAYA PAKSHA AMAVASYA on 17-Sep-2020.

The reason is that the MAHALAYA AMAVASYA on 17-Sep-2020 stays till 4:29pm (evening) and PRATIPADA / PRATHAMAI starts right after that. This is not good for 2 reasons

1. PRATIPADA / PRATHAMAI starts in the evening of the AMAVASYA day.
2. The KARANA after 4:29pm on 17-Sep-2020 is called Kaustuva or Kimstughna – this KARANA usually related to bad deeds and being heartless.  

Hence, it doesn’t bode well for the NAVARATRI CELEBRATIONS. Hence the celebrations have been moved to the NEXT SHUKLA PAKSHA PRATIPADA / PRATHAMAI in October.