Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: Know The Significance Of The Festival And Story Behind The Name Ganpati

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: The festival is celebrated on the fourth day of Bhadrapada month, Shukla Paksa, meaning the waxing phase of the Lunar cycle.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: Today is the day to welcome Ganpati Bappa who is also known as Vighnaharta (the one that takes away obstacles). Every year Ganeshotsav is celebrated with great pomp and show but in this changing times, Ganpati Bappa will not witness huge crowds and carefree dancing. This year Ganpati celebrations will be a low key affair due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Also Read|Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: Know Significance Of The Festival And Why Modak Is Offered To Lord Ganesha Though the pandemic has hit the country, people are ready to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi 2020 inside their homes praying that Vighanaharta takes away all their problems. Ganesh Chaturthi is a joyous occasion that commemorates the birth of Lord Shiva and Parvati's son, Ganesha. How did Lord Ganesha get the name Ganpati? Considered as a symbol of wisdom and good fortune, Lord Ganesha is known to have 108 names. Legend has it that once his mother, Goddess Parvati, had asked Lord Ganesha to guard the entrance while she took bath. However, Lord Shiva came at that very moment, and trying to enter was stopped by Ganesha. This angered Shiva and he severed Ganesha’s head. Seeing this, Goddess Parvati was heartbroken, leading to Shiva instructing his ganas to look for the head of a living creature to replace Ganesha’s severed head. They found a baby elephant’s head and this is how Lord Ganesha came back to life and later was named Ganpati by Lord Shiva. Also Watch| Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: Visuals of aarti from Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple Ganesh Chaturthi Significance: According to Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is the God of good fortune, wisdom and prosperity. Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most celebrated festivals of India. People prepare for this festival days before the actual day. Large pandals are decked up with idols that are set up in many parts of states like Maharashtra and Gujarat. People then gather in large numbers to offer prayers. Year after year, people are getting more innovative with idol-making and choosing more eco-friendly ways to not harm the environment upon immersion. A lot of devotees even bring small Ganesha idols to their homes and host pujas at their residence. This includes chanting, singing devotional songs and offering bhog. Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations: Vinayaka Chavithi is a 10-day long celebration with several people bringing the Ganesha idols either at home, office spaces, or local area pandals. They put in a lot of effort to decorate the space for Lord Ganesha and place offerings in front of the idol. These offerings include modak, payasam, coconut rice, motichoor laddoo, shrikhand, and many other sweets. Devotees then visit temples and pandals during these 10 days to pay respect and offer prayers to Lord Ganesha. The statue of Ganesha is immersed in water on 1.5th day, 5th day and 10th day. This is known as Ganpati Visarjan. Devotees are seen chanting 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' paying respect to Lord Ganesha as they bid farewell t him. Traditionally this is also regarded as Ganesha taking away all our worries and leave his blessings behind. However, since this year we're facing a pandemic, the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made sure to introduce a one-ward-one-Ganpati concept in order to maintain social distancing. Even public celebrations of Vinayaka Chavithi are barred in New Delhi this year. Large scale celebrations care canceled for this year in Maharashtra due to the COVID-19 pandemic.