Ganesh Chaturthi 2025: 10-day festival with eco-friendly practices

Ganesh Chaturthi 2025 will be observed from August 27 to September 6, marking ten days of devotion, family gatherings, and community celebrations across India. The festival centers on the installation of Lord Ganesha’s idol, daily prayers and offerings, and a grand immersion, or visarjan, at the end of the period. This year’s occasion also highlights carefully timed muhurats for the main worship and a growing emphasis on eco-friendly practices and personal rituals within households and mandaps.

Historically, Ganesh Chaturthi took on public significance in the late 19th century when a nationalist leader popularized public celebrations as a means of unity. Today, it is one of India’s most widely observed festivals, with homes, temples, and pandals offering prayers to the elephant-headed god believed to remove obstacles and bless new beginnings. The festival’s rhythm follows the lunar calendar in many regions, but in Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, observances are aligned with the Malayalam and Hindu calendars, respectively. Across the country, the ten-day period culminates in the emotional farewell of Ganesha as his idols are carried in processions to be submerged...