Ganesh Chaturthi

About

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and the lord of beginnings. It falls on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi, the fourth day of the bright half of Bhadrapada. The date is the same in the Purnimanta and Amanta calendars.

Families and communities bring home a clay idol of Ganesha, install it (sthapana or pranapratishtha), worship it for a chosen number of days, and then bid farewell in a ceremony called visarjan. The public form of the festival was popularised in Maharashtra in the late nineteenth century, though home worship is much older. Today it is celebrated across India and by the diaspora.

Significance and stories

A well-known story says that Parvati made a figure from the paste of her body and gave it life to guard her door. When Shiva returned, the boy stopped him. In the conflict, Shiva severed the boy's head. To console Parvati, Shiva restored him with the head of an elephant and named him leader of the ganas (Ganapati). He was blessed to be worshipped first before any other deity.

Ganesha is the god of wisdom and new starts, so people begin work, studies and ventures by invoking him. The clay idol dissolving in water is seen as a reminder that forms are temporary while the spirit endures.

How to observe (puja vidhi)

1. Prepare the home and puja space. Clean, decorate with flowers, rangoli and a canopy. Bring home the idol before the muhurat.
2. The preferred time for the main puja is Madhyahna, midday, the time when Ganesha is said to have been born. Check the exact window for your city in your Panchang.
3. Take a sankalpa (intention) and invoke Lord Ganesha with the pranapratishtha (invocation of life) ritual. A priest can guide you, or follow a simple printed procedure.
4. Perform shodashopachara puja, offering sixteen services: water, seat, bath, clothes, sacred thread, sandalwood, flowers, incense, lamp, food and so on.
5. Offer 21 blades of durva grass and red hibiscus flowers.
6. Offer modak (sweet dumplings), coconut and fruits as naivedya.
7. Chant "ॐ गं गणपतये नमः" (om gam ganapataye namah) or recite the Ganapati Atharvashirsha. Ask a priest or elder to guide pronunciation.
8. Perform aarti morning and evening throughout the days of worship.
9. On the day of visarjan, offer a final puja and bid farewell with the prayer for his return next year.

Puja items (samagri)

• Eco-friendly clay idol of Ganesha, and a wooden seat
• Durva grass (21 blades), red hibiscus, other flowers
• Modak, coconut, bananas, fruits, sweets
• Turmeric, kumkum, sandalwood paste, rice, betel leaves and nuts
• Incense, ghee lamp, camphor, bell
• Red cloth, sacred thread, a kalasha with water

Fasting and food

Many families do not keep a strict fast, though some fast until the main puja is complete. The festival is a feast of vegetarian sweets and dishes. Modak (steamed or fried), puran poli, ladoo and coconut dishes are typical. Avoid onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food during the days of worship if your tradition requires it. People with health conditions, pregnant or nursing women, children and the elderly should follow their doctor's advice and may keep a lighter fast.

Regional customs

Traditions on the duration of worship vary. Families keep the idol for one and a half, three, five, seven or ten days, and the visarjan then follows. The ten-day version ends on Anant Chaturdashi. In Maharashtra the festival is grand, with community pandals, processions and Ukadiche modak. In Karnataka and Andhra it is called Vinayaka Chaturthi or Chavithi. In Tamil Nadu, Pillaiyar is worshipped with kozhukattai. In Goa, Chavath is a family festival. Customs vary; follow your family's custom.

Celebrating in the USA

Choose a small eco-friendly clay idol, sold at many Indian shops and temples, or a natural clay or even a turmeric Ganesha you make yourself. Immersion in public waters such as lakes, rivers or the sea is regulated in the United States, and in many places it is not allowed. A good option is a symbolic visarjan at home: dissolve the clay idol in a tub or large bucket of water, then pour the water on garden plants or soil. Another option is to plant the idol in a pot with a plant. Many temples and community groups arrange a community visarjan in a permitted way. If the day is a workday, do the main puja in the early morning or the evening and keep the days of installation shorter, such as one and a half or three days, if you prefer. Keep lamps safe near smoke alarms.