Dancing the Garba and playing dandiya during Navratri are the most mesmerizing moments for anyone and it all concludes with the Dussehra celebration, on the tenth day after Navratri begins.
Dussehra in usa is widely known as Vijayadashmi as Goddess Durga emerged victorious over the evil demon Mahishasura and restored dharma.
Indians celebrate this festival differently as per their traditions but it has gone beyond the boundaries. Nowadays, the Dussehra festival is celebrated globally wherever Hindu communities live and honor their heritage.
The USA, The UK, Canada, and Australia all have major celebrations of this festival. Dussehra celebration in NJ, which is the state of New Jersey, is the biggest in the nation.
Dussehra is called by many names across different regions in India and it is celebrated for different reasons as well. Most of the stories behind the Dassera celebration are about Durga Maa, Ramayana, or Mahabharta.
In Hindu tradition, it is believed that this festival is commemorating the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana - the evil king of the Lanka kingdom.
WHY, HOW, AND WHEN IS DUSSEHRA CELEBRATED?
According to Ramayana, Ravana kidnapped Lord Rama’s wife Sita and abducted her to Lanka. He fought a long battle with Ravana and finally killed him and Sita was freed. This auspicious day is remembered as what all Hindus celebrate in India and abroad as Dussehra.
On this same day when Lord Rama killed Ravana, according to Mahabharta, Prince Arjuna was victorious against a large army of Kuru and this victory came to be known as Vijaya Dashmi. Thus, there are numerous folk tales behind this hugely and globally celebrated festival.
Another tale narrates the day when the Pandavas came out of their disguise after the end of vanvasa and finally unearthed their weapons from the Shami tree.
Apart from these two, you must be knowing about the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon. In short, Dussehra is a celebration of victory over evil and dussehra in usa could be easily considered as a collective part of Navratri.
Check Out : Navratri Celebrations In The USA
Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day from the start of Navratri. It is the next day after Navami and thus, it is the last day when the processions of Goddess happen into a river or oceanfront. During Navratri, several forms of Devi i.e. Goddess Parvati are revered and all of them are taken to get immersed in the water.
As you could have seen in Durga Puja, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati, and Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya accompany Mother Goddess Durga, and later on the day of Vijayadashami, all of them are immersed.
Dasha-Hara, as you can spell this festival, is the ten days and they all are celebrated in honor of Shri Rama. For these ten days, people from the community stage plays and musicals based on the Hindu epic Ramayana.
It is popularly called ‘Rama Leela’ as it narrates the story of Lord Rama. Also, people build huge effigies of the feature demons Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and his son Meghanada.
On the day of Vijayadashami, these towering effigies are burnt on bonfires and these are very similar to the Holi bonfire.
DUSSEHRA CELEBRATION IN UNITED STATES
In 1999, the first-ever Dassara celebration was organized in New Jersey by a community of Indian Americans and soon it grew larger with popularity. It came to be known as the Annual Grand Dusshera Festival.
All members of the committee and other volunteers come together to start preparations for the festival months before.
In these festivals in the USA, one can taste the festivities through Indian food that is made available through vendors selling on stalls and local stores.
From bhel to fafda and jalebi, all are cooked and served at this event. Even Ram-Leela is played for entertaining as well as to carry forward the culture and backstory to future generations abroad.
Sometimes, celebrity or political guests are called at such events for the inauguration or as special guests.
Everyone feels so much closer to their motherland through this festival and that the main purpose of this celebration in the US is to bring unity amongst the community. Hindu Swayamseval Sangh (HSS) organizes and establishes pandals to celebrate Dussehra across New Jersey.
Now let’s check out what you are going to wear for this year’s Dussehra in usa celebrations!
WHAT TO WEAR DURING NAVRATRI DUSSEHRA 2021
Salwar kameez or salwar suit is made of three pieces of designer garments. At first, there is a salwar that is a loose pajama-like pant or you can call them trousers. The Kameez, as the name suggests, is a long kurta-like tunic with a stylish collar.
Sometimes there is just an open round neck instead of collars or maybe with a mandarin collar. Lastly, a dupatta that is made of a solid pattern is draped over the shoulder. Salwar suit is a special outfit for women during the Dussehra festival.
This salwar suit becomes an ethnic piece of outfit that every woman should own in her wardrobe. There are variations of salwar suits that can even be worn by men.
Anarkali salwar suit is one of the most selling types of salwar suits. It is a frock-style dress paired with skin-fitted pants and that can be paired with a dupatta or maybe not.
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| STYLE TIP - An ethnic Maang Tikka is highly recommended with a salwar suit along with a pair of large dangle earrings. |
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NEHRU JACKET
An ethnic jacket that is worn over a long kurta is known as Nehru Jacket. Its name suggests the way it became popular and idolized by every Indian through its first prime minister.
A usual kurta set that comprises a kurta with a pant-like pajama is beautifully styled with a Nehru jacket.
These fashion garments are highly recommended for men as festive wear during Dussehra celebrations. Mostly, the color of the jacket contradicts the kurta. Kurta and pants are of the same color but the jacket has been high and complements the entire outfit.
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| STYLE TIP - Mojaris as footwear with this Nehra jacket-over-Kurta set is most recommended for a complete traditional look. |
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FESTIVE WEAR SAREE
Saree is an essential outfit for women during the festive season like the Dussehra celebration. Festive wear sarees come in unique styles that offer aesthetics to your personality.
Kalamkari, Banarasi, and Bandhani style of saree remains the most selling sarees ever and other styles such as designer, half and a half, and many more are loved and worn graciously.
You can shop for a traditional and unstitched saree that you can wear yourself by making the pleats and draping around.
Otherwise, you easily shop for ready-made sarees that are stitched with well-made pleats that you just need to attach and put the drape over the shoulder. Karmaplace.com provides unstitched and stitched sarees with good quality and lasting durability.
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| STYLE TIP - Kundan jewelry with a traditional saree is always stunning and presentable. |
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KURTA SHIRT
The traditional touch to your modern and urban clothing is through kurta shirts. A kurta is cropped and stitched in such a way that it looks like a shirt. It can have long or short sleeves and maybe with collars of various types.
Kurta shirts are not just for the Dussehra celebration but they can be worn for other usual days as well.
Mandarin collars are very popular with kurta shirts. You can pair it with denim jeans and even trousers will look good with an ethnic kurta shirt.
Kurta shirts are worn by both men and women. Girls can pair it with palazzos as well. They are both festive wears as well as casual wear as they maintain a neutral fashion style.
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| STYLE TIP - Complementary colored sunglasses paired with a kurta shirt would surely sparkle your attire. |
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LEHENGA CHOLI
An ethnic wear outfit that is a set of three garments i.e. a blouse known as the choli, a long and floating skirt of knee-length called a lehenga. A dupatta is used as an accessory to drape over the shoulder.
You can also shop for lehenga dress material to get it stitched according to your fitting and get it shipped before the Dussehra celebrations.
Lehenga choli is very elegant and it is a mix of contemporary and traditional designs. Modern lehengas come with minimal design and preferably muted tones of warm colors that radiate a sharp personality.
All three pieces could be made of three different colors of the same color palette but the choli and the dupatta remain the highlight out of all.
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| STYLE TIP - Choker Jewelry necklace with drop earrings or even danglers can look good with this outfit. |
Now you are all set to get ready from karmaplace.com. All your shipments are done directly from exclusive and classic designers and boutiques from India.
Start your shopping now and be ready before the festive season and just feel the enigma of the Dussehra celebration this year with optimism and a good heart.
