[[{“value”:”
Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner, and just like that the whole of Mumbai will come alive with festive fervour that will reverberate through every other street. It gets even better because at home, is more intimate with family and friends, but even that requires quite a bit of a preparation.
While many people have help around them, those who live alone may often want to celebrate but not know how to get started, but you don’t have to worry, here’s a guide to help you get started:
Eco-friendly idols
Getting Lord Ganesha’s idol is one of the most important aspects of the festival but even that has changed over the years. While POP idols were popular earlier, they are slowly being replaced by eco-friendly idols over time, one of the most popular options being clay idols. With the traditional idols known to cause water pollution, eco-friendly idols are the way forward, and one that should be on your list.
Modaks
It is impossible to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi without modaks. Known to be the traditional offering that Lord Ganesha loves, it is not only kept as an offering but also distributed among friends and family. Over the years, the traditional modak has been replaced with different kinds of flavours including chocolate among others. While there are other sweets given as offerings like laddoos and puran polis, the modak holds a special place in most people’s hearts. If you cannot make it, you can always order it.
Decorations
When you get the Ganpati idol, don’t forget to bring along different kinds of colourful decorations and other essentials. Get the diyas, flowers and the agarbattis (incense sticks), but don’t forget about the flowers, and the bells, camphor and ghee to light the diya, among other things need to celebrate the festival to the fullest.
Chowki
It is important and best to place the idol on a platform, more popularly known as a chowki. Don’t forget to use the decorations you buy to make it look divine before you welcome Lord Ganesha into your home, so that you can place it there in time for the festival. While you can spend more to buy an elaborate platform, your devotion is most important, and even a simple one will do, as long as you have made it your own, but not without cleaning your house.
Avoid non-vegetarian food
With everything in place, one may be tempted to ignore the kind of food that can be eaten during this time. With more people eating all kinds of food today, keeping away from non-vegetarian food like meat, poultry, fish, and mutton, is best during this time. Replace it with sattvic or other kinds of vegetarian food.
“}]]
