Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the prominent festivals that is celebrated in India to honour the birth of Lord Ganesha, the God of wisdom, prosperity, and new yields. Another important aspect is that it is not only a celebration of religion, but also people’s joy and union in the form of a celebration. It is also a very special time in many people’s lives because one can easily see the joy and devotion during this time.
It is believed in Hindu culture that Lord Ganesha is the created deity as such he is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. In one of the legend it is said that Parvati one day formed Ganesha out of sandalwood clay to safeguard her when she went for a bath. Once when Lord Shiva tried to proffer entry, Ganesha did not allow him to do so not knowing the identity of the person. This led to a fight and finally in the process of fight Shiva swings his Axe which beheaded Ganesha. In an effort to restore the situation, Shiva cut off the head and then replaced it with that of an elephant – symbolizing might and knowledge and thus revived him.
Hence the festival holds cultural and social historical value in addition to being religious. In the 19th century, an Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak turned this festival in to a public affair which was celebrated by the entire community. If earlier people were restricted by the British colonial rulers from congregating in groups, Tilak turned the occasion to bring people of different castes and communities together and feel proud of being Indians. Since, this tradition has been followed and Ganesh Chaturthi is now celebrated by all the communities including Harijans.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations also start weeks earlier where people clean their house, decorate homes with flowers and make arrangements for establishment of pandal for Lord Ganesha. Sculptors put their best efforts to make pretty images of Ganesha which can be small enough to fit in hand or large enough to be several feet in height. Most of these idols are crafted from clay; however, the recent concerns regarding the environmental conservation have compelled many artists into incorporating environment friendly materials most especially when immersing the statues in water containers.
In Ganesh Chaturthi festival, the first day is known as ‘Ganesh pratishtha’ where the idol of Lord Ganesha is welcomed to homes or pandals with much pleasure and formality. A hymn, chant and sounds of the drums echo in the air as everyone pays his or her devotion. Non vegetarian, sweets especially the “modaks”, flowers, coconut and other delightful items are offered to the deity. Then special prayers are conducted everyday throughout the year with the devotees approaching the lord Ganesha for bestowing them with knowledge, wealth and prosperity and seeking his help to eliminate all the hurdles from their way.
Festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is a way of performing lots of rituals and prayers apart from having cultural activities like dramas, song and drama, celebration among the people, social gatherings, and community services. Several of the pandals arrange for dance and music shows, art shows, and competitions during the festivity. It also equally customary for people gather to clean the environment, do volunteer work, contribute to charities or social activities showing the sense of public ownership and belonging.
The end of the festival also involve the ‘Visarjan’, performing arts, music, dance and chanting of ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya’ during which the statues of Ganesha are immersed in water bodies which is symbolic of cycle of birth and rebirth. It is a happy occasion coupled with a hint of sadness when people say their final goodbyes to the god they have worshipped after which they get to welcome the same god the next year.
Even though Ganesh Chaturthi is a fun filled festival, there is time for retrospection and being aware in this festival. When we promise Ganesha to liberate ourselves from the limitations in our respective lives, or from the things that we believe inhibit our potential or our productivity, then we should consider a result in terms of lessons on how to persevere and succeed all the same. It makes one think of rebirth in other aspects of life, in general, the setting of new based on the positive not the bad and wrong things of life.
Over the recent years, there have been increased concerns as to how people should ripe Ganesh Chathurthi festival in an environmentally friendly manner. Some of the activities implemented include using clay idols which when immersed in water, dissolves rather easily and natural colors and decorations for such festivals. It is the paradigm shift of how we ought to be a steward of this world, which resonates with the deity’s responsibilities of Ganesha being the god of life restraint and obstacle destroyer.
Ganesh Chaturthi is not only a festival, it is people’s religion, people’s art, people’s victory over the evil and untruth. It is a time when we unite for perhaps a moment in the year or in a life time to celebrate tradition and celebrate asking for blessings. Let us celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi this year with thankful heart, a joyful heart, and heart that is full of desire and passion to contribute to change the lives for the better and also the world around us.
May the Lord Ganesha bring in to your home knowledge, wealth and the ability to demolish all the hurdles in your way of life. Ganapati Bappa Morya!
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