SO WHAT IS GANESH CHATURTHI & WHY IS IT CELEBRATED?
Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10 day Hindu festival that begins on 22nd August this year. Celebrated to honour the elephant-headed god Ganesha’s birthday; this festival begins on the fourth day of Hindu lunar-solar calendar month Bhadrapada. This important event typically falls in the months of August or September, and in 2020 will fall on 22nd August.
Lord Ganesha is considered the god of wealth, prosperity and good fortune. The festival is heavily celebrated in Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Orissa, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh.
Maharashtra is the state known for grand celebrations during this festival. Although Ganesh Chaturthi is widely celebrated it is not a public holiday, because there are so many religions in India they had to abolish some public holidays and have only three: Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi’s birthday. The festival is marked by the installation of Ganesha idols in both homes and public places.
There are four main rituals observed during Ganesh Chaturthi:
- Pranapratishhtha – the process of infusing the deity into an idol
- Shhodashopachara – 16 forms of paying tribute to Ganesha
- Uttarpuja– Puja after which the idol could be shifted after its infusion
- Ganpati Visarjan – immersion of the Idol in the river
Lord Ganesha is worshiped in India, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nepal, and China.
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