The first of many festivals this fall, Ganesha Chaturthi is a ten-day long festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha that is celebrated around the world. Ganesha, also known as Vinaykar and Pillayar in Tamil, is one of the most popular Hindu gods. He is wise and playful. People pray to Ganesha first before praying to other gods. He is the remover of obstacles and people pray to him before starting a new endeavor. Ganesha Chaturthi is Lord Ganesha’s birthday. Pujas are performed for Ganesha in Hindu temples, and people make or buy their own clay Ganeshas and do puja for their Ganesha at home for ten days. Ganesha Chaturthi has been celebrated in the U.S. in a big way since at least the 1980s. Ganesha is known for liking sweets, especially Modakas, also known as Kolukattai, which people make for this festival. At the end of the ten days, temples and devotees join in a parade to a body of water where they say goodbye to Ganesha after his ten-day long stay and immerse their murthis in the water. This is called visarjana.Visarjana has many meanings. It represents the cycle of birth and rebirth and shows that nothing is permanent. Ganesha is the lord of removing obstacles so Ganesha visarjana can symbolize getting rid of obstacles and starting fresh. It also represents merging with the universe.Ganesha’s two feet signifies the power of knowledge and action. His looks represent a large abundance. Myth has it that he swallows all the sorrows and sins of the world and protects this world we live in. Ganesh Chaturti symbolizes the birth of Ganesha.
