Ganesh Chaturthi 2010: Celebrate Lord Ganesh’s birthday from now until Sept 11

UPDATE August 24, 2011: here’s a post about 2011 Ganesh Chaturthi 2011

Saturday, Sept. 11 in 2010 marks the date of the end of the 10 day Hindu festival Ganesh Chaturthi celebrating the birthday of Lord Ganesh. During the Hindu festival of Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees.  His birthday is celebrated on a slightly different day each year as it coincides with the phase of the moon. Here’s more from Wikipedia on Ganesh Chaturthi; I found the photo below there.

Lord Ganesha is widely worshiped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. While I am not a practicing Hindu, I still celebrate Lord Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles and Patron Saint for Writers and Artists, and I wrote several 3:15 Experiment Poems about Him in 2009 August 5, 2009 “It’s Lord Ganesh,” August 11, 2009 “Celebrating Lord Ganesh’s Birthday,” and August 20, 2009: “Lord Ganesh Returns.”

Last year for Burning Man, I asked Rajan of Rajan Draws to do a Ganesh on a bicycle for me: his whole blog is dedicated to his drawings of Ganesh. He sent me these two drawings right away and we turned the top drawing into stickers and tie-dyed bandanas. As Ganesh Chaturthi last year was on the First Friday of the month and during Burning Man, we led a bike ride with beautiful banners with Ganesh on them, and we gave out the banners and bandanas. We told hundreds of people about Ganesh and asked them to celebrate his birthday with us.

This year, we’re not at Burning Man, but as it is the First Friday in September, we’re going on an ArtRide tomorrow! We meet at 5:30pm at the Artists Union Gallery, 330. So. California St, Ventura at the Beach Promenade and we ride at 6pm. Since we haven’t decided on the theme for October, I’m going to make flyers with Ganesh on them, and I’m going to try to get the banner rigged for my bike.

Part of the celebration for Ganesh is making or buying a figure of Ganesh, praying to Him, and then setting him to sail to Mt Kailash.  Last year, a gathering of us made small clay figures of Ganesh. I took mine to Burning Man, but instead of immersing him in water at the end of the 10 days, I brought him home; he’s been traveling with me in my car this year. He’s now in the house again. On Saturday Sept 11, I will take him to the sea.