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Ganesh Chaturthi
celebrations
Ganesh Chathurthi is
one festival that is celebrated with great fanfare throughout India.
In Maharashtra, the festival is celebrated for 10 days and on the
tenth day, the huge idols are taken on a procession around the cities
and immersed in the sea. In
Tamil Nadu too, this is catching up. But our main festivities begin on
the Chaturthi day, which is the fourth day in the shukla paksha in the
month of Avani. According to the English calendar, this falls on the
first of September this year. The first task on the Chathurthi morning
is to buy a new idol of Lord Ganesha. The idols are usually made of
clay and will be available throughout the city. Some will be simple
while some will be painted with multi colours! A colourful umbrella
made of paper and streamers is also bought.
Lord Ganesha is one who
doesn't need elaborate arrangements and items for his pooja - He is
satisfied with arugam pul (durva grass) and erukkam poo malai (garland
made out of the erukkam flower). He
is supposed to be rather fond of the modakam or kozhukattai and both
the sweet and salt kind of kozhukattais are made and offered to the
Lord.
The pooja is usually
conducted for two days and after the second day's pooja, the idol is
immersed in water - either by taking it to the sea or dropping it in
the family well.
Lavanya |
