Worldwide Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesha is known as the God of money and prosperity. He is the youngest son or Lord Shiva and Parvati. Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day festival that is celebrated worldwide on the occasion of his birthday. The festival begins on Shukla Chaturthi which is the fourth day of the waxing moon period and ends on the 14th day of the waxing moon period known as Anant Chaturdashi.

After Diwali and Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi is regarded as one of the biggest festivals in India.In the recent past, the festival has managed to cross the boundaries of our country and is now celebrated in different parts of the world amidst huge splendour and pageantry.

UK has always been like a second home for Indians, outside India. Lot of Indians has migrated to UK in the recent past making it a hub of one of the biggest non-residential Hindus outside India. The main function is celebrated by a London based organization, known as the Hindu Culture and Heritage Society of UK. Original celebrations in UK started way back in 2005 by The Vishwa Hindu Temple. Another celebration is organized by the Gujarati community, which is celebrated in the Southend-On-Sea. Almost 18000 devotees assemble at the venue to pay their respect to Lord Ganesha.

Lord Ganesha’s birth celebration has many followers in Thailand. Interestingly many of those followers are non-Hindus. Keeping up with the worldwide celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi, the Utthayan Ganesh temple and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of Thailand celebrates the occasion in Thailand. Main celebration on this occasion takes place in Bangkok.The Nakhon Nayok temple, which is situated some 106 km. from Bangkok, has a 38 ft. tall idol which is one of the biggest in South East Asia. The idol is made from eco-friendly materials and the prasad served on this occasion is entirely homemade.

A big chunk of the working population in USA consists of Indians who celebrate almost all Indian festivals in different parts of the country.Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in different parts of USA by different communities, groups and religious institutions. In North America, the Philadelphia Ganesh Chaturthi is regarded as the largest public funded event which is held at the Bharatiya Temple, Chalfont, Pennsylvania.The festival is also celebrated by The Sai Samsthan, in Warrenville, Illinois which is often regarded as one of the grandest celebration of Lord Ganesh’s birthday outside India.Huge amount of people gathers at the temple complex and take part in processions. Various devotional and cultural programs are organized to mark the event.

Like USA, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in different parts of France in small pockets. A main celebration of the event is centred on the idol of Ganesh in Sri Manika Vinayakar Alayam temple of Paris. A big procession consisting of men and women is organized where people dress up in traditional attires. The men break coconuts and woman carry lighted lamps on their head to commemorate the event. Besides these countries, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated worldwide in a big scale in various countries of Europe and South East Asia like Singapore, Vietnam and Mauritius. It is one of the most beloved festivals of Hindus worldwide who worship Lord Ganesha for peace, prosperity and financial stability.