St. Maarten Indian community to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with three days of devotion

GREAT BAY--The Indian community of St. Maarten will welcome Lord Ganesha with three days of prayer, devotional music, blessings and community fellowship at the Sai Center from Monday, September 14 through Wednesday, September 16.

Each day will begin with morning aarti at 8:00 AM and conclude with evening bhajans at 7:00 PM. Families, friends and members of the wider community, regardless of background, are warmly invited to attend and share in the observance.

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu deity revered as Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles, and associated with wisdom, prosperity and new beginnings.

The festival falls during the Hindu month of Bhadrapada and is one of the most widely observed Hindu celebrations. While devotion to Lord Ganesha stretches back centuries, large public Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations were popularised in Maharashtra in 1893 by Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak, who helped transform what had largely been a family observance into a wider community gathering bringing people together across social and economic divisions.

Today, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated throughout India and among Indian communities around the world, including St. Maarten.

Traditionally, an idol of Lord Ganesha is installed and honoured through prayers, devotional songs, flowers and offerings of sweets, particularly modak, which is traditionally associated with Ganesha. Celebrations generally conclude with visarjan, the ceremonial immersion of the idol in water.

The St. Maarten celebration will place emphasis on bhakti, or devotion, as well as fellowship and togetherness, offering the wider community an opportunity to experience an important part of Hindu religious and cultural tradition.

Persons interested in offering sewa, or volunteer service, may contact Devika at +590 690 22-4170 or Rakhee at +1 (721) 553-4344.

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