Hindus celebrate an important deity where religion meets joy

Your birthday is special to you when you see all the presents and loving family members standing by your side. Well, there is someone special whose birthday is celebrated over 10 days by many families across the globe. They are a symbol of knowledge and understanding in the Hindu faith. Their name is Lord Ganesha.

Lord Ganesha was crafted from clay by Lord Shiva and Parvati, the powerful Indian deities. Unsuccessful after repeatedly trying for a baby, Parvati had instead moulded a child, with help from Lord Shiva to bestow human qualities upon the boy.

Ganesha was always a considerate boy, especially for his fondness towards his mother. His big tummy is considered to hold the secrets of those who confided in him, and he is distinguished by his elephant head.

One day, Parvati was taking a shower and had asked Ganesha to guard the house, which he did with responsibility. After a while, Lord Shiva arrived from months of hunting and was famished, impatient to enter. Ganesha was adamant in (not) letting Lord Shiva inside, and in frustration, Lord Shiva beheaded Ganesha. Hearing all the commotion, Parvati hurried outside and fell to her knees seeing Ganesha. Realising his mistake, Lord Shiva felt deep regret and had an idea to reform Ganesha. Rushing back into the forest, an elephant the first animal he saw, Lord Shiva quickly beheaded it, and brought back the elephant head to Parvati, who sewed it onto Ganesha’s body. Ever since, Lord Ganesha has been a supernatural figure to Hindus worldwide.

Ganesh Utsav is the festival of celebrating Lord Ganesha’s birthday. It is celebrated with garlands, candles, sweets, lights and, of course, a party to fully acknowledge his special day. An aarti (hymn) is then sung to Lord Ganesha, celebrating all his attributes.

Usha Agrawal, an Indian migrant heavily involved in celebrations of Ganesh Utsav, said: “To me, Ganesh Utsav is all about catching up with friends and family, a lot of fun, laughter, and of course, food.”

This is the central idea of Ganesh Utsav celebrations, to celebrate life with friends and family, as well as appreciating and being grateful.

Usha also said that she visited various Ganesh Utsav festivities in Australia, but genuinely enjoyed hosting the Lord Ganesha idol in her own house for five days, and being able to celebrate over 10 days.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said: “Ganesh Ji, the remover of obstacles, blesses India’s journey towards progress. With His divine intervention, our nation will sail smoothly past all hurdles, turning every dream and resolution into reality with unstoppable success and fulfilment.”

Ganesh Utsav is commemorated worldwide by all Hindus, and is a time for everyone to come together and zealously practice their religion.

From the 7-12th of September, Muskaan and her family thoroughly enjoyed celebrating Ganesh Utsav by hosting a party and singing aartis to their beloved idol.

Please note this transcript was supplied with Muskaan’s video entry in the 2024 Junior Journalist Competition.

Images were added by Kids News editors and minor edits applied as per publishing requirements and editorial guidelines on the site.

Kids News wishes everyone a very Happy Diwali!