Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayak Chaturthi "is one of the major traditional festivals celebrated by the Hindu community. It is observed in the Hindu calendar month Bhadrapada from the Shukla Chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). Normally day falls sometime between August 20 and 15 . September. The festival lasts 10 days, when Ananta Chaturdashi and is traditionally celebrated as Ganesha's birthday.

According to Hindu mythology, Ganesha is the son of Shiva (god of destruction in the Hindu trinity of Creator, Preserver-Destroyer) and consort Parvati (Shiva). The sweetest and most adorable Indian god Ganesha or Ganpati is an elephant head on which rests a stylish headband, four plump hands, combined with a big belly with each hand holding its own symbolic object - a Trishul or a trident in one or encourage Ankush (from his own broken teeth) in another, a lotus flower in the third and a rosary (which is sometimes replaced by modaks, your favorite candy) in the fourth. Revered as a god of good omen and wisdom, Ganesha is also known for being a crook and his sense of humor. 

It is believed that Lord Ganesh was born on a day session (chaturthi) of bright half of the Hindu lunar month Magh. Since then, chaturthi an association between Ganesh and has been established. Thus the festival dedicated to the worship of Lord Ganesha on this day is named Ganesh Chaturthi Chaturthi.

There is an interesting story about the strange birth of Ganesha. It is believed that once while Parvati was bathing, created a human figure from some unguent and balm, gave him life and asked him to guard the door while she bathed. After a long period of meditation on Mountain Kailash (Lord Shiva's residence), Shiva chose that moment to pass to visit his half, but was interrupted by the man-god Parvati had posted at the door. Outraged at the cheek of this stranger, Shiva cut off his head only to discover moments later that he had killed Parvati's son! For fear of enraging his wife, Shiva immediately sent his gana (servants) to make him head of the first living creature they find. Well, the first living creature happened to be an elephant. The following instructions, the head was cut and brought back to Shiva, sitting inside Parvati's son, who returns to life. This elephant-headed god was welcomed at the first family of Hindu heavens and named Ganesha or Ganapati, which literally means the head of the will, or assistants of Shiva. Ganesha is the chief god in the Hindu pantheon. This brave guardian of the bathroom door Parvati now seen as more favorable to God new beginning. He is worshiped in every festival and before a trip to persons or embarking on a new business. Will also carefully guarding entrances to temples and homes, peeping out of calendars and happily adorn marriages and other such occasions.

Nobody knows when and how Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated for the first time. But according to historian Shri Rajwade before Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations dating back to the time of the reign of dynasties as Satavahana, Rashtrakuta and Chalukya. Historical records show that the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Maharashtra began Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, the great Maratha ruler, to promote culture and nationalism. And he had continued ever since. There are also references in history to similar celebrations in the Peshwa times. It is believed that Lord Ganapati was the family deity of Peshwas. After completion of the Peshwa regime, Ganesh Chaturthi is still a family affair in Maharashtra during the period 1818 to 1892.

1857 was a landmark year for India and even more so in the context of freedom of India. It was the year of the Sepoy mutiny, armed rebellion against the ruling of the British Empire from the Indian soldiers. This was the first war, which India to regain their independence from their white rulers. Although it does not succeed, this battle marked the beginning of the struggle for Indian independence. Many speakers, leaders and freedom fighters all over India came together to make a total opposition to British rule. One of these prominent leaders Bal Gangadhar Tilak, an Indian nationalist, social reformer and freedom fighter. Highly valued by the indigenous population, especially in Maharashtra, Tilak is commonly known as "Lokmanya," or "to be treated by people." The Tilak, who brought the tradition of Ganesh Chaturthi and reshaped the annual Ganesh festival from private family celebrations into a public event queue.

Lokamanya saw how the Lord Ganesha is worshiped by the upper layer and the base for India. The visionary who was Tilak account of the cultural importance of this deity Ganesha Chaturthi and popularized as National Holiday "to close the gap between the Brahmin and non-Brahmin and find an appropriate framework to build a new base unit including" in their struggle nationalists against the British in Maharashtra. He knew that India could not fight their rulers, until it resolved the differences in your account. Therefore, to unite all social classes Tilak chose Ganesha as a rallying point for the indigenous protest against British rule because of its attractiveness as a "god Everyman." 

It was around 1893, in the initial stages of Indian nationalism, which Tilak started to organize the Ganesh Utsav as a social and religious function. He first put on large public images of Ganesha in pavilions, and establish a tradition of immersion in the tenth day. Festival of Community involvement and facilitate participation in the form of learned discourses, dance drama, poetry recitals, concerts, debates, etc., which served as a venue for ordinary people from all castes and communities, a time when all social and political meetings were banned by the British Empire, for fear of conspiracies that are hatched in them. A large festival in Peshwa era, acquired Ganesha Chaturthi this time a more organized form all over India are largely attributable to the efforts of Lokmanya. 

Since then, Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated throughout Maharashtra as well as in other states with large community enthusiasm and participation. With Indian independence in 1947, was declared to be a national festival.

Day, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and many other parts of India. The festival is so popular that the preparations begin months in advance. Days before the actual worship, houses are cleaned and set tents on street corners to house the idols of the Lord. Develop systems for lighting, decoration, mirrors and flowers. The craftsmen who make idols of Ganesh compete with each other to make larger and larger sculptures. The size of the relatively bigger place from 10 meters to 30 meters high. These are installed in tents and in homes before Puja (worship). During the festival, the Lord is honored with great devotion and prayer services take place daily. Length of stay varies from Lord one place to another, where worship is completed, the statues are carried on vehicles plunging into the sea after one, three, five, seven and ten days. Thousands of processions converge on the beaches to immerse the holy idols in the sea. This procession and immersion is accompanied by dancing and the sound of drum beats, exciting, devotional chants and exploding fireworks. As the idol is immersed in the middle tight chants of "Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai!" (Hail Lord Ganesh) festival ends with pleas to God to return next year with chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya, varshi lauka pudcha ya" (Hail Lord Ganesh, return again soon next year). Tourists from all over the world come to attend this wonderful event on the sun kissed beaches of Goa and Mumbai.

While celebrated all over India, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are more extensive in the states of Maharashtra, Goa (This is the biggest festival for Konkani people all over the world) Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and other areas which are former states of the Maratha Empire . Outside India, is celebrated by Newars in Nepal.

In the 21 century, soon with the world becoming a global village, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated around the world where there is a presence of a Hindu community.