Celebrating Ganesh in India

Posted on June 12, 2009 - Filed Under Travel

There are many celebrations and festivals that occur throughout India every year. Some, as in the Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, and Diwali are celebrated throughout the country, and others are unique to the city of Mumbai. What is reflected in the vast number of different festivals is the fact that there are many different ethnicities and cultures living within the same city. And throughout the festivals, for all those who travel to Mumbai and stay in the Palace hotel, India becomes a beautiful experience that leaves one with lasting memories. The Ganesh Chaturthi festival is one of the most brilliant of the Indian festivals. It is a ten day celebration that occurs each year during the last week of August and the first week of September. This is a devotional extravaganza that is filled with fun and parties. The streets are full of locals, and there are many that carry the huge replicas of the statue of Lord Ganesh through the city. The entire city of Mumbai becomes filled with excitement and enthusiasm.

Ganesh is said to the Lord of prosperity, fortune and wisdom. Ganesh is highly worshipped in Mumbai, but the festival takes place in other cities as well, such as Karnataka, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The festival time is the period when Ganesh descends down to earth and blesses all of humanity. The ten day festival ends with the final ceremony of Ananta Chaturdashi. The people of Mumbai start preparing for this event up to three months prior to the festivities. The clay statues are created in the houses ranging is sizes of one inch to twenty five feet and on the fist day of the festival the sculptures are placed throughout the city. During the first days of the festivals priests, and citizens, pray and chant mantras. Ganesh is worshipped in this way for the ten day period, and the eleventh day is the day for dancing and song. The idols of Ganesh are then carried to the river and the final offerings of flowers and coconuts are made as they immersed the idols in the water. Ganesh is so celebrated as his image and myth is closely associated with India’s struggle for freedom throughout the years. Anyone visiting Mumbai during this time will be moved and overwhelmed.

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