Ganesh Chaturthi

The Ganesh festival is going on in full swing, this post came out a bit late, but its said better late than never. So here comes my little bit gyan with personal experience about the festival.  
Ganesh Chaturthi is a hindu festival to celebrate the birthday of the god 'Ganesha'. This festival lasts for 10 days. Some people do fasting on this day, and after bringing home the ganpati idol and offering modaks/laddoos break their fast.

Home made Laddoos

In north, and central India, huge clay idols of Ganesha are places on the raised platforms in homes, as well as outdoors. For outdoors, some people form committees in the society and collect money (charity/chanda)  from the residents for Ganesh Festival. From the collected money, the huge pandals are created, Ganesha idol is purchased from the idol-makers, and on the D-day 'Ganesh Chaturthi' the ganesha idols are established in these pandals along with performing special pooja which is known as 'PRANPRATHISHTHA' .The preist follows all the religious ceremonies for this pooja. Aarti and pooja are performed regularly for the next 10 days in these pandals. People visit these pandals to have blessings of Lord Ganesha. They offer modaks and laddoos which are known as the favourites of Ganeshji.

In my childhood days, we also use to bring ganpati at our home, and do the poojas, aartis, and distributing prasad. That was really fun and a nice experience. As kids we believed that ganpati has his sleeping time, so do not disturb god. As a result, we never use to allow anyone to open the curtains of the idol before sunset. After sunset, we use to switch on the illuminating lights to our jhanki ( the arrangement of ganesha idol along with decoration). Lighting the lamp, doing the pooja ( we ourselves were the preists...bacche bhagwan ka roop hote hain :P ), singing the aarti by reading in the book (hahaha) and then comes the prasad- the laddoos.Really that was simply awesome.And after that handed over our ganeshji to the procession people for visarjan in the river, as beings kids we were not allowed to go to the river to do it ourself.

Coming further, after PranPrathishtha, for 10 days that is from Ganesh Chaturthi to Ananta Chaturdashi, Lord Ganesha is worshipped. On the 11th day, these Ganesha idols of the pandals and those pratistith(established) in the homes, all are taken out in processions, with music and dance, to be immersed in the nearby lakes or rivers, or sea. This ceremony is popularly known as 'VISARJAN'. The visarjan symbolizes the journey of Ganesha to his home 'Kailash' while taking the misfortunes of all the people. ' Ganpati bappa moriya, agle baras tu jaldi aa ' are the favourite lines people rhyme along visarjan. The whole 10 days mark a great celebration of Ganesha, the whole atmosphere seems purified and divine. 
Posting the picture of Ganpati at my mom's place.

Jai Ganesh !!

While I was in Pune and Mumbai, I witnessed a different flavour of Ganesha Utsav. In Maharsathra Ganpati is kind of favourite god. You will find them in every household, his temple in almost every area, nook and corners, and chaurahas.The famous 'DagduSethGanpati' is the charm of pune. Being in pune gave me the opportunity to take the blessings and feel the divine atmosphere during the AARTI in the temple. Photography is not allowed inside the temple, but when the dagduseth ganpati comes out of the temple in the ganesh festival, the long lines are natural to be formed. After ganesh utsav ends, the ganpati is again seated in the temple.

The processions taken out for visarjan in Pune and Mumbai are something to witness. Huge crowd, dhol, music, colours, long traffic jams, people dare not to go out on the visarjan day.

The aarti in marathi which is sung in every ganpati temple is something which melts honey in the ears.I heard it first time in Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai and then Dagduseth Ganpati Pune. It is simply awesome.
Posting the aarti wordings here. (sources : google)

                                                            "Ganpati Bappa Moriya"