Ganesha Chaturthi
The Hindu festival of Ganesha Chaturthi marks the birthday of Ganesh the Hindu god whose elephant headed figure is familiar all to people all over the world. Ganesh, the god of education, knowledge and wisdom, and also the destroyer of pride and selfishness, is of great significance to Hindus.
Unlike many Hindu festivities, which take place in the home, the Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations are very public. Before the festival, people purchase statues of Ganesh which they decorate with flowers and lights. On the day of Ganesha Chaturthi many of these statues are placed in outdoor tents for other people to view. The smallest statues may be only 2cm high but the largest can reach up to 7 metres! Today these tents are used also as communal venues for people to donate blood, receive free medical check-ups and give charitable donations for the poor.
Interestingly, the festival of Ganesha Chaturthi was revived relatively recently by Lokmanya Tilak, a scholar and important political activist who was imprisoned several times by the British for his work in campaigning for Indian self-rule. In reviving Ganesh Chaturthi, Tilak is credited with helping to establish a sense of unity and patriotism amongst Hindu Indians.
