Ganesh immersion ceremony – part 1

For days now I have heard people in the streets playing drums, singing and being in festival mood. Yesterday I joined in together with Karsten to experience the celebration and immersion ceremony of Ganesh. We walked to Lake Powai through our local neighborhood where they were out in the streets dancing and having fun. It started raining quite heavily, but it is still rainy season here so that was not too big of a surprise. Arriving the area by the lake, there was a stage set up and a nice crowd of people in festival mood. Also there were line ups for immersing the smaller of the idols. The bigger ones that kept arriving with trucks got to skip the line and do the immersion once they arrived. There was a floating raft that transported the people and their idol a bit further out in the lake where a couple of the people jumped into the lake and drowned the Ganesh idol.

Large Ganesha on its way out to be drowned....

Happy, happy people dancing in the streets!

We were actually quite popular there also, being the only non-Indians that were there and the locals wanted to take photos of us with their Ganesh, came over and greeted us and posed for us to take their picture. And they were all just in such a happy mood J We were also offered local sweets and off course we accepted (was a bit unsure about how my tummy would deal with it considering how many people had actually touched it before I consumed it… But I am totally fine today so no worries).

I named this post Ganesh immersion ceremony - part 1 as I plan on attending several immersion ceremony throughout the next days in different areas of Mumbai...

Loving the festival season!






Off they go to immerse the Ganesh




People by the lake in festival mood :)