Vinayaka Chaturthi 2022: Ganesh Chaturthi for the year 2022 is celebrated/ observed on Tuesday, August 30. Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu celebration of the birth of Lord Ganesh. His life represents prosperity, wisdom, and good fortune.
The festival falls in August/September which is in the month of Bhadra on Shukla Chaturthi in the Hindu calendar.
History Of Ganesh Chaturthi:
Ganesh is known by the names Heramba, Ekadanta, Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar. Ganesh Chaturthi / Ganesh Puja is one of the widely celebrated Hindu festivals in the country.
The blessings of Lord Ganesha are invoked at religious ceremonies. Lord Vinayaka is known as the fortune giver and one who can assist to avoid natural calamities.
He is also the patron god of traveling. Lord Vinayaka is portrayed with an elephant’s head on a human body.
According to Hindu customs, Lord Ganesh is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration:
In a few parts of India such as Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh the festival of Ganesh is celebrated for ten days.
It is a public occasion. Sweets are offered. On the day of the festival, clay idols of Vinayaka are installed in homes or outdoors in decorated tents for the public to view and submit their homage.
Clay idols of Ganesh are also installed by schools and colleges.
Vinayaka Chaturthi a Public Holiday:
Ganesh Chaturthi is not a public holiday across India. It is a regional holiday that is celebrated only in certain states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
Even in these states, it is not mandatory for an employer to declare the Ganesha Festival as a holiday.
States that Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi:
Ganesh Chaturthi/Chavithi is celebrated with great pomp and show in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and Karnataka.
Other states that celebrate this festival are: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Delhi, and Punjab.
Rituals observed for Vinayaka Chaturthi:
Though the festival is the same and has similar connotations across India, each region has slight variations in rituals and traditions.
The celebrations last between 7 and 10 days at different places. A few common observances are:
- Installation of Ganapati statue: A statue of the Elephant God is installed on a pedestal either at home or in a public place with a pratishtha puja.
- Not looking at the moon: On the first night of the festival, people avoid looking at the moon because it is considered a bad omen.
- Prayers: Washing of the statue; puja with the chanting of shlokas and offerings of flowers and sweets; and aarti, i.e. circumlocution of the idol with a plate filled with a lit earthen/metal lamp, kumkum and flowers, is done. Prayer meetings are also conducted at Ganapati temples and public installations every day in the evenings and in some places, in the mornings as well.
- Special performances: Some public installations of Lord Ganesh might also have performances with dance, music, and skits.
- Making and eating modak: Modak is believed to be Ganapati’s favorite sweet. So, these dumplings are made and distributed as prasad during the festival. Other food items such as ladoo, barfi, pedha, and sundal are also distributed during this time.
- Visarjan: This is the immersion of the idol in a water body and is conducted on the last day-anywhere between the seventh and eleventh days- of the festival. It is accompanied by a procession of people chanting bhajans and slokas and songs, with the idol. People seek forgiveness for the mistakes they have made so far and request God to help them stay on the righteous path. Ganesha is thanked for visiting the home/locality, for removing obstacles from people’s path, and for the auspiciousness he bestows.
Farewell Process:
The farewell procession, or Ganesh Visarjan, is the grand culmination of the festival. This is the celebration in which the installed idols of the god are immersed in a water body.
The immersion might be done in the nearest pond, lake, river, or sea.
Those who do not have access to a large water body might also do symbolic immersions by dipping the idol in a small vessel or water barrel at home.
The idol is taken from the place of installation home or public pandals to the water body in a huge procession accompanied by devotees singing bhajans or songs.
Depending on the size of the idol, it may be carried on the shoulders of either the head of the family or a symbolic head of the area, or taken on a wooden carrier, or in a vehicle.
All these proceedings are accompanied by chants of Ganapati bapa moriya, bhajans, dance, and distribution of prasad and flowers.
