It's not for show; in fact, they are meant to be displayed for only nine days, after which they are boxed away until the following year. It's all to celebrate Navarathri, a tradition that is becoming almost as well known as yoga and henna, especially in Saratoga where the Indian communities are relatively close-knit.

This year, the festival, which is based on the lunar calendar, fell on Sept. 25 and lasted through Oct. 3. During the nine-day celebration, residents opened their homes to friends and relatives and demonstrated artistic abilities—usually singing and dancing—before an elaborate arrangement of dolls placed on a shrine of odd-numbered steps. Only female children and adults participate in the ceremony.

Each home varies in the type and number of dolls displayed, as well as in the themes conveyed, but it is crucial to have the three main female deities—Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati—on the frontlines.

"The purpose of this festival is twofold," explained Malini Srinivasan, who celebrated the festival in her home for the first time in the U.S. She exhibited an impressive collection of 100 dolls in her living room, some of which included native girls dressed in dancing garb, village men wheeling barrels of vegetables, southern saints, wooden fertility dolls and even her daughter's play dolls.

"It gives the Indian community a reason for getting together and socializing," she added. "It also exposes the children to Indian mythology and arouses them to ask questions about their Indian heritage."

Her husband, Srini, added that the festival brings spiritual enlightenment to the women and children.

"Spirituality and art are important aspects in the Indian culture," he said. "This festival allows people to integrate the two and do what comes naturally, whether it be singing or dancing."

The two, owners of The Dancing Yogi on Big Basin Way, explained the practices that occur throughout the festival.

For the first three days of the festival, females pray to Durga, who is associated with destroying bad energy and evil tendencies within the individual. Once that is complete, individuals worship Lakshmi, goddess of positive energy, for the next three days. The last three days are focused on Sarasvati, who is known to instill wisdom in people. On the 10th day, children are encouraged to begin new academic or artistic instruction.

In addition, guests rub a red powder called kum kum on their foreheads to help the flow of energy and a yellow substance, a common cooking ingredient, on their throats for purification purposes.

Chitra Govind, who visited Malini during the festival and participated in the ritual, said it's important for natives to carry on the tradition regardless of which country they are in.

"America is a mixture of cultures," she said. "People, especially children, should have something they can hold onto and identify with."

Aarthi Venkatesh, another Saratogan of Indian heritage, said she has noticed a certain trend regarding the prominence of the festival among age groups. Not to say that the older individuals do not take part in the festival, Venkatesh said that the present and younger generation is becoming more involved with following traditions and teaching kids aspects of the Indian culture.

Malini attributed this to not only having larger Indian communities, which makes it makes it more comfortable for individuals to express their roots, but also to being in an accepting environment.

"The world is becoming more global," she said. "People are more open to learning about other cultures and traditions."