Next: 4 to 13 Sept 2027
Ganesh Chaturthi
The birthday of Ganesha: clay idols at home and in street pandals, ending in a joyful immersion in water.
When is Ganesh Chaturthi in 2027?
Ganesh Chaturthi 2027 runs from 4 to 13 September 2027. Other years: 2026, 14 to 23 September 2026; 2028, 23 August to 1 September 2028.
About Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birth of the elephant-headed god of beginnings. Households in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Telangana bring home a clay image of Ganesha and install it on a decorated platform. Prayers, songs and offerings of modak, a sweet dumpling, continue for one, three, five, seven or ten days. Public celebrations were popularised in Pune and Mumbai in the late nineteenth century and now fill neighbourhood pandals with music and lights. On the last day the idols are carried in processions to the sea, a lake or a river, with the cry "Ganpati Bappa Morya". Many people now choose eco-friendly clay figures to protect water.
Ganesh Chaturthi dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Ganesh Chaturthi date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 14 to 23 September 2026 |
| 2027 | 4 to 13 September 2027 |
| 2028 | 23 August to 1 September 2028 |
What is eaten
- modak
- puran poli
- karanji
- panchakajjaya
Traditions of Ganesh Chaturthi
Also part of it, and being written: Modak (The sweet dumpling said to be the god's favourite.), Ganesha (The elephant-headed god worshipped before any new undertaking.).
More marked on Ganesh Chaturthi
🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaNuakhai
An agricultural festival in Western Odisha welcoming the first rice of the seasonSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal
Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePujaपूजा (pūjā)
Hindu worship: light, flowers and food offered to a deity or a guestSpiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaVidyarambhamविद्यारम्भ
A Hindu rite of passage introducing young children to reading, writing and the artsRite of passage
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Ganesh Chaturthi" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Nuakhai: Mamata Padhi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pandal: SHUBHAM KR SONI, CC0, source
- Lalbaugcha Raja: ninadism, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Puja: Sakkhar21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source