August 28, 2026 Uncategorized

Navratri 2026: Nine Nights, Nine Forms of Devi & a Crystal for Each Day

Navratri 2026 begins on Sunday 11 October with Ghatasthapana and closes on Wednesday 21 October with Vijayadashami. Nine nights, nine forms of Devi, and — for anyone who keeps crystals — a natural nine-day structure to work with.

A note on colours before we start. The nine Navadurga forms are fixed and have been for centuries. The nine colours are not: the sequence published in newspapers shifts from year to year depending on which weekday the festival opens, and different regions follow different lists. What follows is the colour most consistently associated with each form in traditional practice. If your family follows a different sequence, follow your family.

Navratri 2026: the key dates

Ghatasthapana / Day 1	Sunday, 11 October 2026
Durga Puja Shashthi	Friday, 16 October 2026
Maha Ashtami	Monday, 19 October 2026
Maha Navami	Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Vijayadashami / Dussehra	Wednesday, 21 October 2026

Navratri opens the buying season. The fifteen days immediately before it — Pitru Paksha, 26 September to 10 October — are traditionally a period when jewellery and auspicious items are not bought. If you are planning purchases, the customary window opens on 11 October and runs through to Dhanteras on 7 November.

The nine nights, form by form

Day	Form of Devi	Traditional colour	Crystal that matches
1 — Sun 11 Oct	Shailaputri, daughter of the mountain	White	Clear quartz or moonstone — the beginning, kept plain
2 — Mon 12 Oct	Brahmacharini, the ascetic	Red	Carnelian — discipline and sustained effort
3 — Tue 13 Oct	Chandraghanta, bearer of the crescent bell	Royal blue	Lapis lazuli — courage and clear speech
4 — Wed 14 Oct	Kushmanda, the cosmic egg	Yellow	Citrine — warmth and creation
5 — Thu 15 Oct	Skandamata, mother of Kartikeya	Green	Green aventurine or jade — nurture and growth
6 — Fri 16 Oct	Katyayani, the warrior	Grey	Labradorite — resolve under pressure
7 — Sat 17 Oct	Kaalratri, the destroyer of darkness	Orange	Black tourmaline or obsidian — the night of clearing
8 — Mon 19 Oct	Mahagauri, the luminous	Peacock green	Rose quartz — Ashtami, the peak of the festival
9 — Tue 20 Oct	Siddhidatri, giver of siddhis	Pink	Amethyst — completion and stillness

You do not need nine separate stones. Most households keep one bracelet and simply change the intention each night, which is closer to traditional practice than assembling a set. If you want a single piece that covers the whole nine, a 7 chakra bracelet is the usual choice.

A simple nine-night practice

Nothing here requires a priest or a formal puja. It is what most families already do, with a stone added to it.

Before Day 1: rinse whatever you plan to keep near the ghat in clean water and dry it. If you keep a pyramid or gemstone tree, this is when it is traditionally cleaned and placed.
Each morning: place the stone beside the diya while the lamp is lit. That is the whole of it.
On Ashtami (19 October): the day most families mark with kanya pujan. Traditionally the day a new piece is first worn.
On Vijayadashami (21 October): the day for beginnings — new work, new instruments, new tools. Traditionally an auspicious day to start wearing a stone bought during the festival.

Durga Puja: the Kolkata calendar

In Bengal the same nine nights are counted differently, and the festival effectively runs Shashthi to Dashami — Friday 16 October to Wednesday 21 October in 2026. Shashthi is when the Devi is traditionally welcomed, and it is the practical start of the gifting season rather than Day 1. MantraMani is a Kolkata business, so we work to both calendars.

What is traditionally bought during Navratri

For the home: Vastu pyramids, gemstone trees and crystal frames — placed rather than worn, and traditionally set out at the start of the festival.
To wear: a single-stone bracelet in the colour of the day, or the stone for your own rashi. Most sit in the ₹749–₹899 band.
To give: Navratri and Durga Puja are gifting occasions in their own right, well before Diwali. See the gift guide.

Frequently asked questions

Do the Navratri colours change every year?

The widely-circulated nine-colour list does shift, because it is keyed to the weekday the festival opens on. The nine forms of Devi do not change. If you want something stable to follow, follow the forms.

Can I buy a gemstone during Navratri?

Yes — Navratri is traditionally the reopening of the buying season after Pitru Paksha, and Vijayadashami in particular is considered auspicious for new purchases and new beginnings.