Ganesh Chaturthi

Goddess Parvati, longing for a companion while Lord Shiva was away in meditation, fashioned a boy from turmeric paste and breathed life into him. She stationed the boy at the door and instructed him to let no one enter while she bathed. When Shiva returned, the boy — not knowing him — barred his way. Enraged, Shiva severed the boy's head.

Parvati's grief shook the cosmos. To make amends, Shiva sent his ganas to bring the head of the first creature they found sleeping facing north. They returned with an elephant's head, which Shiva placed on the boy's body and restored him to life. He named him Ganesha — lord of the ganas — and declared that he would be worshipped first before all other gods.

Ganesha became the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and learning, and the god of new beginnings. His elephant head represents wisdom, his large ears the importance of listening, and his trunk the ability to navigate any obstacle.