Ram Navmi celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu who descended on Earth to fight Ravana. It usually falls in the months of March or April, on the ninth day of the Hindu lunar year. This festival is celebrated with great devotion throughout the country, with festivities varying from region to region.
The celebrations usually carry on for two consecutive days with glorious processions of Rama, his wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman taken out from many temples. There are also public worships held at various places which starts with morning purification, followed by chanting of Vedic mantras and offerings of flowers and fruit.
Passages from the Ramacharitamanas, reciting the glory of Lord Rama are also recited during this time. In some places around the nation, during this time, people show their devotion by keeping a fast, breaking it only at midnight with fruits.
The most elaborate celebrations are held in Ayodhya, which is also the birth place of Lord Rama. A large number of followers of Lord Rama take a holy bath in the sacred river of Sarayu in Ayodhya on this day.
