Today is a major festival -- especially in Mumbai and Pune -- that celebrates Ganesha (or Ganesh or Ganapati), "the elephant-headed deity who is known as the remover of obstacles and the god of auspiciousness."* We were invited to a celebration at the house of one of the teachers from "Spice Academy" where we take Hindi lessons.
After about 30 minutes of chanting, drumming, and incense, we were served traditional Bengali foods associated with the festival. It was quite an evening as about 30 or more people crowded into a typical Vapi middle-class apartment.
Tomorrow, this idol will be immersed and the household returned to normal. In Maharashtra the festival lasts 10 days, and immersion takes place on the last day. When we were in Hyderabad, they were setting up to accommodate the immersion of about 30,000 Ganesha idols in the lake!
* (Quote from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Festivals/Ganpati.html which has much more information.)
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| Each of these offerings to Ganesha has a specific meaning and is part of the ritual. |
After about 30 minutes of chanting, drumming, and incense, we were served traditional Bengali foods associated with the festival. It was quite an evening as about 30 or more people crowded into a typical Vapi middle-class apartment.
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| Ganesha is buried deep in flowers and garlands. This figure is about 18 inches high. Along the streets there are many idols that are so large they take a truck to move them. |
Tomorrow, this idol will be immersed and the household returned to normal. In Maharashtra the festival lasts 10 days, and immersion takes place on the last day. When we were in Hyderabad, they were setting up to accommodate the immersion of about 30,000 Ganesha idols in the lake!
* (Quote from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Festivals/Ganpati.html which has much more information.)
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