Ganesha Chaturthi is a Hindu celebration honoring their elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha, who is worshipped for his ability to remove obstacles and bring good fortune.
After a short walk down to Carter Road, where we often take our evening strolls along the sea front, we saw a family carrying their Ganesha down the promenade. I politely asked if I might take a picture and the family was more than willing!
We were so excited to see our first Ganesha up close and were thankful for the snapshot. We thanked the family for the opportunity and prepared to continue our stroll. At that point, the man carrying Ganesha insisted that we join him for a picture...or two...just in case!
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| Thank you, Dr Mahesh, for inviting us to join your celebration! |
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| The family gathers around to honor Lord Ganesh. |
Ganesha is adored with flowers, representing the sky, fragranced with incense to represent air. The burning oil lamp corresponds with fire and the sprinkling of water denotes the earth.
After this portion of the celebration, each family member whispered into Lord Ganesha's ear. Dr Mehesh explained to me that you whisper your wish into Ganesha ear and he will carry away all of the obstacles which stand in the way of that wish coming true.
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| Whispering a wish into Ganesha's ear . |
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| Sweets! |
We solemnly watched as the family gathered Ganesha and lovingly carried him down the water for immersion. What an honor to participate with this family of strangers who generously allowed we Firangs to be a part of such a special family tradition!
"Ganpati Bappa Morya, Agle Baras To Jaldi AA."
(father Ganpati, next year come again.")
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