Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa extends wishes on Vijayadashami; prays for global peace

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 25 extended wishes to his fellow countrymen and to people across the globe celebrating Vijayadashami. Rajapaksa took to Twitter to wish a "peaceful, prosperous and fruitful year" to all Sri Lankans and those celebrating the end of the nine-day-long Navratri festival around the world. 

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Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had wished his fellow countrymen on the occasion of Vijayadashami. "May this Mahaparava of victory of good over evil and truth over untruth bring new inspiration in everyone's life," Modi wrote on Twitter this morning. 

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Navratri festivities in 2020

Navratri is one of the most popular festivals in India. The nine-day long festival is celebrated in India with great joy and excitement. It is celebrated every year in Autumn. Goddess Durga is worshipped for nine nights during the festival. The nine days are dedicated to goddess Durga and her nine Avatars, also known as Navadurga. On the tenth day, also known as Vijayadashami or Dussehra, huge processions are taken out and idols of goddess Durga are immersed in rivers to mark the end of the festival. 

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However, this year festivities across the world are not as grand as previously witnessed due to the COVID-19 outbreak that has gripped the global community for the past several months. Celebrations in India are being carried out with health and safety protocols in mind. Pandals in West Bengal, where Durga Puja is one of the widely celebrated festivals, are only allowing devotees to visit from a distance and only a specific number of people are allowed at a time. 

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