Something Interesting | Ganesh Chaturthi
Aotearoa New Zealand is a secular state where freedom to practice any religion is protected. In the 2018 census, the second largest religious affiliation was Hinduism at 2.7%. The 2023 census showed that 121,644 people indicated Hinduism as their religion. Hinduism is regarded as the oldest religion in the world and comprises of vast and diverse beliefs, practices, and festivities.
Ganesha is one of the most revered personalities in Hinduism. Also known as Ganapati, Lambodara, Pillaiyar and Vinayaka; he is recognised for having four arms and a head of an elephant. Ganesha is considered as the remover of obstacles, bringer of order and prosperity, and the god of intellect and wisdom. The fourth day of the sixth month of the Hindu calendar (which falls between August and September on the Gregorian Calendar) marks the beginning of a ten-day festival that celebrates the birth of Ganesha. This year it was held between the 7th to the 17th of September.
While Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated publicly in some Indian states by placing Ganesha statues in temporary outdoor public stages, it is more often celebrated at home with family and friends by people in India as well as the Hindu diaspora across the world. Like elsewhere, Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated by devotees in New Zealand who put much effort and devotion to the festivities. The preferred Ganesha statue is chosen and ordered a month or two before the festivities. The house is thoroughly cleaned and a raised platform in a designated area is set up. The festivities start with a ritual of reciting mantras or chants to invoke life in the idol and Ganesha is invited into the house as a guest. Ganesha is then offered formal prayers during which he is appointed with red sandalwood and flowers, and offered coconut, jaggery (type of sugar) and modaks (sweet dumplings). During each day of the celebrations, food is offered to the deity and worshipped with singing of religious hymns. A vegetarian diet is observed during this period.
On the last day of festivities, the statue is immersed in water which is quite often a tub of water on the deck in New Zealand. The immersion symbolises Ganesha returning to his celestial home. Ganesha Chaturthi can be viewed as a celebration of the cycle of birth, life, and death.
