what is dussehra festival

Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, is a major Hindu festival celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Ashvina (September–October) in the Hindu calendar. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil and commemorates the triumph of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the 10-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. The festival marks the culmination of the nine-day Navratri festival and is celebrated with great fervor and fanfare. In North India, it incorporates Ram Lila, a gala theatrical enactment of Rama’s life story. Effigies of Ravana, along with those of Meghnada and Kumbhkarana, are stuffed with firecrackers and set ablaze at night in open fields. Dussehra is also a time to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, truth over falsehood, and righteousness over injustice, and it is a time for new beginnings, with many people starting new businesses or ventures on this day.