Ganesh Chaturthi, the most significant Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha is a joyous occasion that’s celebrated with full pomp and show and commemorates the birth of Lord Shiva’s and Pravati’s son, Shri Ganesha.
Ganesha is a god of wisdom, peace, wealth and prosperity who is hailed as Vighnaharta, the one who solves every problem and removes all obstacles, and therefore is worshipped before starting a new venture, on auspicious beginnings like Griha Pravesh or before starting any work. This year the festivities start on the 22nd of August 2020 marking the Ganesh Chaturthi and 1 september 2020 will be marked as the Ganesha Visarjan day.
On Ganesh Chaturthi, several devotees bring home Ganesha’s idol and worship him for a few days (mostly 10 days) and then dip the idol in water as a sign of respect. Over the years with growing environmental awareness, people have found out better ways to celebrate the festival in an environmental friendly way by using Ganesha’s idol made out of natural clay or mud that can be easily dissolved in a tub full of water at home without causing harm to the idol or the environment. The idol of Ganesha is now decorated with natural items like flowers to stay sensitive towards the environment.
Albeit the festival is celebrated with great devotion and joy by Hindus throughout the world, however in India, it is majorly celebrated in states like Maharastra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka and Telangana. Over the years, the festival has become popular even in the capital of India where people have started bringing home Lord Ganesha’s idol to celebrate the auspicious occasion, seeking blessings of the lord.
It is strongly believed that devotees who pray to Lord Ganesha are able to fulfill their wishes and desires as the lord is happy and benevolent towards all his devotees. The main essence of the festival is that the devotees who pray to the lord are set free of sins and Ganesha leads them on the path of wisdom and knowledge. Historically, the festival has been celebrated since ages, with the time it has changed from being a private celebration to grand festival where people from all around come together, pray together and stay united.
People celebrate the joyous occasion by singing devotional songs, dancing to the drum beats and by lighting up diyas and lights to please the Lord. All of this adds to the festive mood and the devotees happily offer their due respect and love by offering prayers to Ganesha’s idol.
