Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesha — the elephant-headed deity of wisdom and remover of obstacles. It is most enthusiastically celebrated in Maharashtra, where Mumbai's celebrations are world-famous.
Ganesh Chaturthi has been celebrated for centuries as a private family ritual. Under the Maratha empire (17th-18th century), it became a public celebration. Indian freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak transformed it into a mass public event in 1893 as a way to unite communities against British colonial rule.
Households and public pandals install Ganesha idols for 1-11 days. Daily prayers, devotional songs, and offerings of modak (sweet dumplings). On the final day (Anant Chaturdashi), idols are carried in massive processions to the sea or rivers and immersed (visarjan). Mumbai's processions involve millions.
Modak — sweet dumplings filled with coconut and jaggery, said to be Ganesha's favorite. Karanji, ladoo, puran poli.
"Ganpati Bappa Morya".
Regional holiday in Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. Mumbai roads close for processions. Beaches packed for visarjan. Major eco-friendly initiatives now replace clay idols.
Future dates for moving holidays (Easter, Eid, Lunar New Year, Diwali, etc.) are computed and approximate; the actual public-holiday date in some countries is fixed by official decree closer to the date.