Ganesh Chaturthi: Tina Ambani thanks Big B for his 'soulful rendition' of Ganesh mantra, other celebs extend wishes to fans

India is all geared up to celebrate one of the biggest festivals of the country, Ganesh Chaturthi, which begins from today. The 11-day long festival is one of the most sacred festivals celebrated by Indians. Ganesh Chaturthi marks the anniversary of Lord Ganesha, son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

As per the Hindu calendar, the festival falls on the Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapada month. According to the English calendar, Ganesh Chaturthi festival is celebrated in the month of August or September. The chaturthi, the day on which Lord Ganesha is worshipped, is also known as Ganeshotsav.

Lord Ganesha is known as the god of wealth, wisdom and prosperity. All the new beginnings start by taking the idol's blessings by worshipping Lord Ganesha as he is known as a remover of obstacles.

During Ganesh Chaturthi, devotees across the world welcome clay statues of the God Ganpati to their respective homes. Some devotees even carry a beautiful parade filled with dance, music and colours as they bring Lord Ganesha home. The idol of Lord Ganesha is then celebrated through the festival.

Before welcoming Lord Ganesha home, devotees clean their respective homes thoroughly, and also bring in vibrant art products for decoration. Before devotees welcome Lord Ganesha, also known as Vinayaka, a platform - filled with flowers, incense sticks and food - is prepared for hosting the idol.

The idol of Ganpati should be housed for 1.5 days, 3 days, 7 days or 10 days. Since devotees are hosting the lord, Ganesha should be attended first with offerings of food, prasad and water. Devotees must perform puja at least twice a day - morning and evening.

On the last day of farewell, in case there's no water body near home, devotees can use water at home and immerse the clay idol of Vinayaka using a big bucket or a tub.

As per rituals, devotees should not eat onion or garlic after hosting Ganpati at their homes. Devotees will also not consume meat and alcohol during the 10-day festival. It is also very important to not bid goodbye to the idol of Ganesha without offering the lord a prayer and food.

As per the old tradition, devotees of Ganesha are requested to avoid looking at the moon during Ganesh Chaturthi. As per the tradition, it is believed that if a person sees the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi, they'll be cursed with accusations of theft, or as known in the legend, the Mithya Dosha.

As the festival concludes, idols of lord Ganesha are submerged in water as part of the Visarjan. The ritual is marked as the descent of Vinayaka with his goddess-mother Parvarti/Gauri from ‘Kailash Parvat’.