Ganesh Chaturthi in USA (America)

Festivals are an integral part of the Indian’s life irrespective of where they go. It binds them with their motherland by a thread that is both auspicious and nostalgic. Ganesh Chaturthi is a very important festival for the Marathi, Tamil, Telegu and Gujarati communities from India.Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in a big way in several big cities of USA, where the concentration of Indian population is really strong.

Most of the Hindu festivals in USA are held in different temples by the Hindu Swamsevak Sangh. This community arranges for the celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi in all major cities where they have branches.The biggest celebrations take place at the Philadelphia Ganesh Festival, which is organised primarily by the Marathi community of the state.Celebrations include cultural programmes and singing of devotional songs, accompanied by a colourful procession on the day of visarjan.

In the Bay area of USA, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by a joint initiative of three organisations namely The Bay Area Telugu Association (BATA), Maharashtra Mandal, and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) at the Fremont Hindu Temple. After ten days of celebrations the idol is finally immersed in the Pacific Ocean near Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The biggest celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi in USA, takes place at Sai Samstan, which is a Hindu society based out of Illinois. Besides the locals thousands of people travel to Illinois from other cities travel to be a part of this great festival. Celebrations also take place in other states of USA like Florida, California and New York on a much smaller scale.