Ganesh Chaturthi 2021: Reason Why Gowri Festival Is Celebrated Before Ganesh Chaturthi

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Every festival has significance in India. The same goes for the Gowri festival that is celebrated just a day before Ganesh Chaturthi in many parts of India. This festival is also referred to as the Gauri Ganesha or the Gowri Habba in Karnataka. This year it will be celebrated from 2 September to 10 September.

This festival is mainly performed by all married women. The Gauri festival is celebrated on Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya according to the Hindu calendar. The Ganesh Chaturthi commences from the very next day, that is, the Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi.

The Gauri festival is observed by women in order to get the blessings of Goddess Gauri. It is said that Goddess Gauri bestows her blessings on the women and blesses their husbands with a long and beautiful life along with prosperity and fertility.

The Gauri festival is almost similar to the Varamahalakshmi Vrata and the only difference is that Goddess Gauri is worshipped in place of Goddess Lakshmi.

Gauri And Ganesha

Goddess Parvati, Gauri, created Ganesha with the help of only a small amount of turmeric paste from her own body. Ganesh Chaturthi is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi and is considered to be Lord Ganesha's birthday.

Lord Ganesha is the God of prosperity, wisdom, and auspiciousness. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated during the Hindu month, Bhadrapada for ten days. The festival signifies health, happiness, wealth, and prosperity.

In West Bengal, Lakshmi and Saraswati are known to be the sisters of Ganesha, and they are the children of Goddess Durga. There are many legends that Riddhi and Siddh are considered to be the two wives of Lord Ganesha.

Goddess Gauri is followed by Lord Ganesha and this is the main reason as to Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated after the Gauri pooja.

Legend Of Gauri Ganesha

As the legend goes, Goddess Parvati was alone in Kailash, which is known as Lord Shiva's abode. A statue was created by her using the dirt of her own body, and she breathed life into it.

She lovingly named him Ganesha and ordered him to stand guard, while she went for a bath. Lord Shiva was unaware that Ganesha was Goddess Parvati's son. Ganesha did not allow Him to enter as ordered by his mother. Lord Shiva got angry and chopped off the boy's head instantly. It is believed that this was symbolic of the fact that we as humans should also get rid of our negative qualities.

As soon as Goddess Parvati heard this news, she became very agitated and angry. In all confusion and anger, the head of the boy was lost. This was when Lord Shiva ordered his companions to chop off the head of the first animal that they would come across.

This was the only way his life could be saved. The companions found the head of a white elephant and brought it back to Lord Shiva. That is the reason why Lord Ganesha has an elephant's head.

Rituals Followed On Gauri Festival

Gauri is worshipped by the women with a lot of devotion, and she is known as the incarnation of Adi Shakti, who is the final source of power. The married women make an idol of Gauri from turmeric and do the placing of the idol.

This idol is placed on rice or a cereal mound. Sometimes, the women build a canopy of banana and mango leaves. Lord Ganesha comes on the day after the idol of Gauri is worshipped.