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Ganesh Chaturthi

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Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated in honor of the Hindu elephant-headed god, Ganesha. It’s a ten-day festival, which typically falls in the months of August or September. The festival celebrates Lord Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles. The festival is marked with installation of Ganesha clay idols privately in homes, or publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stage). Observations include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts such as Ganapati Upanishad, prayers and vrata (fasting. Offerings and prasada from the daily prayers, that is distributed from the pandal to the community, include sweets such as modaka believed to be a favorite of the elephant-headed deity. The festival ends on the tenth day after start, wherein the idol is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in nearby water body such as a river or ocean.