_/\_ Happy Ganesh Chaturthi _/\

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supercool3

@supercool3

Alumni

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Posted: 10 years ago

When you think of a new beginning for something, there is only one God that you seek. And that is none other than Ganesh ji.

On this August 29th, we celebrate the auspicious Ganesh Chaturthi (also known as Vinayak Chaturthi). This date marks the rebirth of Ganesh ji, and the festival lasts for 10 days in total.

During this time of the year, it is common to see houses adorned with various decorations to celebrate. It is also habitual for families to bring home an idol of Ganesh ji. At the end of the festival, the idols are usually immersed into rivers, seas, lakes, etc.

Being born to Shiva and Parvati, Ganesh's story is one of a kind. It is believed that once when Parvati was taking a bath, she created a child (Ganesh) using sandalwood paste and gave him life so that he'll be able to guard the door. However, Shiva was unaware of this.

When Shiva returned home he was surprised by the stranger who was guarding the door. What enraged Shiva even more was that this stranger would not let him go through the door. After repeated attempts to get rid of the child, Shiva severed the head of the child. However, moments later he discovered who the child was.

Knowing that Parvati would be angry, Shiva immediately dispatched his followers to go find a head that was facing north. However, they were only able to find a head of an elephant. The elephant head was brought and fixed onto the child, eventually bringing the child back to life. From that day onwards, the child was known as Ganesh.

There are various versions of this story as well. Another slightly different one tells that Parvati was enraged when she found out about what Shiva had done to her child. As a result, she had decided that she would destroy all of the creations of the world. However, she eventually decided that would not destroy as long as two of her requirements were met:

a) Ganesh brought back to life
b) Ganesh be worshiped before all other gods

Despite the small differences, this story talks about the removal of obstacles. While Shiva represents the soul, Parvati represented the universe. In order for both to meet the obstacle had to be taken care of, which came in the form of the child. While Shiva's actions may have created a distance between him and Parvati, his way of approaching the situation allowed for the situation to be fixed. With the elephant's head being placed on the child, and the child being reborn as Ganesh, the obstacle was removed. The birth of Ganesh allowed for the problem to be solved.

Today, Ganesh ji is celebrated as the remover of obstacles. His presence is believed to instill hope in everyone, especially when venturing into something new.

Maharashtra
Families in Maharashtra install their own clay idols of Ganesh ji. The festival usually lasts up until a maximum of ten or eleven days, once the idol has been immersed in water.

Andhra Pradesh
The Ganesh ji idols, usually made out of turmeric or clay, is worshiped at home. A special sweet, known as modak, is also prepared at homes.

Tamil Nadu
The celebrations in TN are grand. Many people visit Ganesh temples around the state on this special day. Along with the clays being made at home, there are idols installed in public places as well. The police department in the state also helps with arranging the festivities.

Kerala
People worship the idols and also do milk worship In the temples the people break thousands of coconuts to relieve them of their sins.

Around the World
The Indian population in UK celebrate the festival by organizing various events. Similar events also happen in other places around the world.
In countries like the USA organizations, such as Philadelphia Ganesh, are another way of celebrating this.
Also in Canada the festival is celebrated, primarily by many Marathi-speaking people.
The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mauritius began back in 1896. The festival became so popular that the government eventually had to introduce the day as a public holiday.

The beautiful aspect about Ganesh Chaturthi is that the festivities involve community participation and it brings together people regardless of caste, social status etc (removing obstacles in other words). Ever since the Indian Independence, Ganesh Chaturthi has become a national holiday in India. The festival is celebrated in many places and the preparations usually begin months in advance. Families usually start off by cleaning their houses.

During the festival, Ganesh ji is worshiped with so much devotion and prayer. The procession is also accompanied by dancing and loud drum-beats. The festival ends with the people immersing their Ganesh ji idols in water, and also praying for Ganesh ji to return for the following year as well.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!

This Chaturthi may Ganesh ji
guide you in all your new beginnings, and
help you reach success.