The festival of prosperity and happiness has almost begun. It is that time of the year where the clamour of people shouting ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya’ can be heard from a distance. With the inception of the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, the preparation of modak has started in almost every household. After all, as devotees, nobody can leave any stone unturned to welcome Lord Ganesh into everyone’s lives.
This year, the festival will be starting on September 10, 2021 and continue till September 21, 2021. Ganesh Chaturthi 2021 will be celebrated with pomp and joy in places like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. In fact, the shubh muhrat for the occasion will begin from 12:17 AM and last till 10:00 PM on September 10, 2021. It is said that the best time to start one’s worshipping is between 11:03 AM to 1:33 PM.
Ganesh Chaturthi is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi. On this day, people bring idols of Lord Ganesha and worship the deity for ten continuous days. People eat good food, worship the deity and also enjoy with family and friends during these ten days. The significance of this festival is that it marks the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha who is considered to be the god of wisdom and prosperity. Every year, the festival falls between August and September. This period in the Hindu calendar is known as Bhadrapada.
Every region in the country has its own ways of celebrating the festival. However, the basic rituals remain the same. These include cleaning the place of worship and decorating it with flowers and lights. Devotees place the idol on a red cloth and also place a water pot, cardamom, rili, akshat, etc. in front of him. Other essentials for worship include supari, ghee, kapur, panchmeva, gangajal, kumkum, etc. People sing holy hymns and also perform aarti to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha.
The tenth day of the festival is known as Anant Chaturdashi. This day is particularly known as the day of Visarjan as people bid farewell to the god. Devotees sing and dance and also take out huge processions for Visarjan. The idol of Lord Ganesha is immersed in the local water bodies. People also pray to the Lord to return in the coming year.
In Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is said to be the symbol of wisdom, writing, travel, commerce and importantly, prosperity. He has a total of 108 names. Lord Ganesha is the first god who is worshipped before everyone else. Hence, before every work, people pray to him to avoid any difficulty and hindrances.
