About Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi falls on the fourth day of the bright half of Bhadrapada and is kept as the birthday of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, who is worshipped first before any new beginning. A well-loved story tells how Parvati shaped a boy from the turmeric paste on her skin and set him to guard her door. When he stopped Shiva from entering, a fight followed and the boy lost his head. Shiva then gave him the head of an elephant, brought him back to life and made him the leader of his ganas. That is how he came to be called Ganapati.
The festival is celebrated all over India and is at its biggest in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Homes bring in a clay idol, and towns set up large public pandals where the whole community gathers. Ganeshotsav lasts ten days and ends on Anant Chaturdashi, though many families keep Ganesha for one and a half, three, five or seven days, according to their custom.
The main puja is done at midday, because Ganesha is believed to have been born in the madhyahna, the middle part of the day. The idol is installed with prana pratishtha, and the offerings include durva grass, red flowers and his favourite sweet, the modak. In Maharashtra, ukadiche modak, steamed and filled with coconut and jaggery, are made at home, while elsewhere laddoos and other sweets are offered. Aarti is sung morning and evening for as long as Ganesha stays, and friends and neighbours visit each other for darshan.
Many families keep the custom of not looking at the moon on the night of Chaturthi. It is part of the lore of the day and is kept simply as a tradition. When the days are complete, Ganesha is taken out with music and dancing for visarjan in a river, lake, the sea or a tub of water at home, with the call for him to return next year. More families now choose clay idols and immerse them at home or in artificial ponds.
The date is set by the Chaturthi tithi that is present at midday, which is why the festival can fall a day away from what a plain calendar suggests.
