Ganesh Chathurthi / Vinayaka Chathurthi - 2016

Happy Ganesh Chathurthi... Today (5.09.2016) is celebrated as Ganesh Chathurthi / Vinayaka Chathurthi and it is one of the most popular festivals in India.. Ganesh Chathurthi is celebrated as the birthday (rebirth) for Lord Ganesha.

A craft my daughter did in Nursery for Ganesh Chathurthi


Our nivedhanam menu for this festival includes -
Vella Kozhukattai - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2012/09/vella-kozhukattai.html

Uppu Kozhukattai - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.com/2013/09/uppu-kozhukattaiganesh-chathurthi.html,

Ellu poorna Kozhukattai – http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2015/09/ellu-poorna-kozhukattai-ellu.html

Kozhukattai Sundal - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2013/08/kozhukattai-sundal-ganesh-chathurthi.html

Paal kozhukattai - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2013/08/paal-kozhukattai-ganesh-chathurthi.html

Kadalai parupu sundal - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2013/07/kadalai-parupu-sundal.html

Ellu urundai - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.com/2013/09/ellu-urundai.html

Thayir pachadi - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2013/04/cucumber-raitha-cucumber-pachadi.html

Medu Vadai - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2012/11/medu-vadai.html

Parupu Payasam - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2012/08/paruppu-payasam.html

Maha neivedhiyam, and recently I added
Oats kozhukattai  - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2013/09/oats-sweet-kozhukattai.html

Cornmeal kozhukattai - http://nivedhanams.blogspot.com/2013/09/cornmeal-kozhukattai.html ..

We buy a Lord Ganesha statue made with clay, decorate it, put erukam poo garland, do prayers with many flowers with the main one being arugam pul. After the festival, the statue is ready for Visarjan in 1,3,5,7 or 11 days.
Lord Ganesha is elephant headed and there is a very nice epic behind the same.. It is believed that Goddess Parvati created a statue with sandalwood and gave life to the statue and made it to a child. She made the child as a guard while she went to take bath. Lord Shiva (husband of Goddess Parvati) came at that time and the child did not know him and did not allow him to enter. Lord Shiva got angry and sent his boodhaganam (army men I guess!!) to defeat the child. But the child who was created by the goddess herself was very powerful enough to defeat the army with very little effort.. Then the devas and Lord Indra himself attacked the child but they too did not stand a chance. Then finally Lord Shiva beheaded the child. This enraged Parvati and she revealed her true self as Adi Shakti (supreme power) and she vowed to destroy the entire universe where her son was killed and will create another one.. The gods prostrated before her and Lord shiva promised to give life to the child. There was a hunt for the head and an elephant’s head was attached to the child and he got his life back. Lord Shiva named the child Ganesha (Gana Isha – lord of the Ganas). Lord Shiva also declared that all auspicious occasions and prayers will begin with the worship of Lord Ganesha..