Everything You Need to Know About Ganesh Chaturthi 2024

Ganesh Chaturthi is also popular by the name “Vinayaka Chaturthi” or “Vinayaka Chavithi.” People celebrate this festival for the arrival of lord “Ganesh” from “Kailash Parvat” to earth. Lord Ganesh came with goddess Gauri (Parvati), his mother. In the year 1893 first “Shri Bal Gangadhar Tilak ” placed a clay murti of lord Ganesh at her home in Pune. After this, various people started this Ganesh Chaturthi at their homes and in pandals.     

Date

Ganesha Chaturthi is on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

Chaturthi Tithi Begins: September 06 | 5:31 AM in (New_York). 

Chaturthi Tithi Ends: September 07 | 8:07 AM in (New_York). 

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Importance of Ganesh Chaturthi

People believe that those who pray or chant to lord Ganesh will be able to fulfill all their wishes, which they may want. Lord Ganesh is mainly known for his cleverness and knowledge. So people chant for him to get all this ability within them also. They thought it was a kind path to make him happy and gain some knowledge.

In this festival, people forget about all their problems and issues of their life and serve all of them to lord Ganesh with a wish that lord Ganesh will heal all their sadness or problems as he is also known as “Bighnaharta.” 

Meaning of Ganesh Chaturthi

People celebrate this festival as they thought on that day, lord Ganesh will come from Kailash Parvat to the earth, and on the tenth day, when they dispose of the clay murti of Lord Ganesh, then he goes back to the Kailash Parvat to his parents. As a lord, Ganesh comes on that day to the earth, so people celebrate this festival as his birthday. 

In this puja, people celebrate by chanting holy Vedic hymns and various Hindu texts like Vrata and Prayers. Then, people offer prasad at daily prayers, distributing the same to all communities. This prasad mainly includes various fruits and the most important sweet modak. People believe that modaka is the favorite food of lord Ganesa. People celebrate this festival for ten days. On the first day, they install the clay murti of lord Ganesh, and this ends on the tenth day.

On the last day, people carried the clay murti of lord Ganesh to the road as a grand public possession. This possession includes various music and chanting, and after all these, they dispose of this idol to any nearby sea or river called Visarjan. Sometimes this is noticed by the people who cannot dispose of the idol in any sea or river, and then make a pond with the help of a big bucket or pot to dispose of the idol. 

Why should we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi?

All the mythological facts know that lord Ganesh is the cleverest and most intelligent among all of them. He is also known as Shiddhidata Ganesh, which means if anyone can satisfy him, he will give him or her power to fulfill his or her all wish. For these reasons, people also celebrate this festival.

Not only that, but people also celebrate this festival for ten days. Then install the idol of Lord Ganesh on the first day, pray, and chant for all ten days. On the tenth day, they dispose of the idol in a nearby sea or river. On all those ten days people celebrate a festival very much. They forget about caste, wealth, religion, get together, and enjoy. For this, people should celebrate this festival to enjoy it all together. 

Origin of Ganesh Chaturthi

As per history, it is known that at first, this Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated from the time of “King Shivaji.” The time was when India was struggling for freedom. At that time, Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated privately at home. However, “Shri Bal Gangadhar Tilak ” changed this festival from a private celebration to a public celebration. At this festival, all kinds of people from different castes from different states come together, pray for their wish, and enjoy it a lot.

Lord Ganesh is the youngest child of lord Shiva and goddess Parvati. There are various stories related to the birth of lord Ganesh. However, the most popular story is described below.

It is known that one day Mata Parvati created lord Ganesh from her dirt to guard her as lord shiva was not present at that time. Then Ganesh looked like a normal person. He was given the task of guarding the bathroom door of Mata Parvati. Suddenly lord Shiva came, but Ganesh stopped him. Ganesh was unaware of lord shiva. So lord Shiva became angry and hit Ganesh and divided his head from his body. 

When Mata Parvati came to know this, she became enraged, and then lord Shiva promised her to get Ganesh back again. So, he sent the devas to bring a baby’s head with some condition. So, they return with the head of an elephant as it satisfies the condition. Lord shiva then joins this head to Ganesh’s body, and he gets back his life.