Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi
Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbai
Official nameVinayaka Chaturthi, Vinayaka Chavithi
Also calledChavithi, Chouthi, Ganeshotsav, Gauri Ganesh
Observed byHindus around the world
TypeReligious
CelebrationsChanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, prayers, processions, idol immersion
Ends5 and 7, & 9, 11 days after the start and 21 days after the start only in some regions of India
DateVaries depending on lunar cycle as per Hindu calendar or Panchang
2025 date27 August
FrequencyAnnual
Explanatory note
Hindu festival dates

The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).

Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa.

A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar.

Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: Gaṇeśa Caturthī), also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi (Vināyaka Caturthī) or Vinayaka Chavithi (Vināyaka Cavithī) or Vinayagar Chaturthi (Vināyagar Caturthī), is a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Hindu deity Ganesh.[1] The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's murtis (devotional representations of a deity) privately in homes and publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages). Observances include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, such as prayers and vrata (fasting).[1] Offerings and prasada from the daily prayers, that are distributed from the pandal to the community, include sweets such as modak as it is believed to be a favourite of Ganesha.[2][3] The festival ends on the tenth day after start, when the murti is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjana on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi. In Mumbai alone, around 150,000 murtis are immersed annually.[1][4][5]

The festival celebrates Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings, the Remover of Obstacles and the God of Wisdom and Intelligence,[6][7] and is observed throughout the Indian subcontinent by Hindus, especially in the states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Goa, as well as Nepal.[1][8] Ganesh Chaturthi is also observed by the Hindu diaspora elsewhere such as in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, other parts of the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa,[9] the United States, and Europe. In the Gregorian calendar, Ganesh Chaturthi falls between 22 August and 20 September every year.[5][10][11]

Although the origin of Ganesh Chaturthi remains unknown, it became increasingly popular after a public celebration was initiated by the prominent Anti-Colonial Freedom Fighter, Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, in Maharashtra in the year 1893. It was a means to form a Hindu nationalist identity and rebel against British rule.[12] Reading of texts, feasting, athletic and martial arts competitions are held at public venues.[13]

  1. ^ a b c d Ganesh Chaturthi: Hindu Festival, Encyclopædia Britannica (2014)
  2. ^ Darra Goldstein (2015). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. pp. 82, 254, 458. ISBN 978-0-19-931361-7.
  3. ^ K. T. Achaya (2001). A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food. Oxford University Press. pp. 68–69, 132. ISBN 978-0-19-565868-2.
  4. ^ "Ganesh Chaturthi 2019 in India – Dates & Map". rove.me. 17 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b Patrick Taylor; Frederick I. Case (2013). The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religions. University of Illinois Press. p. 332. ISBN 978-0-252-09433-0.
  6. ^ Heras 1972, p. 58.
  7. ^ Getty 1936, p. 5.
  8. ^ Lawrence A. Babb (1975). The Divine Hierarchy: Popular Hinduism in Central India. Columbia University Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-0-231-08387-4.
  9. ^ Ramesh Dutt Ramdoyal (1990). Festivals of Mauritius. Editions de l'Océan Indien. pp. 21–22.
  10. ^ "Festivals, Cultural Events and Public Holidays in Mauritius". Mauritius Tourism Authority. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  11. ^ "Ganesh Chaturthi – CONCURSO FOTOGRÁFICO: MIGRACIONES INTERNACIONALES Y FRONTERAS". investigacion.cchs.csic.es.
  12. ^ Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. Rosen. pp. 237, 697. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
  13. ^ Royina Grewal (2009). The Book of Ganesha. Penguin Books. pp. 143–146. ISBN 978-0-14-306760-3.