nPostednon September 9, 2013
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nTodaynis the beginning of a Hindu festival that celebrates the rebirth ofnthe Lord Ganesha, who is considered the god of wisdom, prosperityn(riches), and good fortune. One of the most important traditions isnthe making or purchasing of models of Ganesha, the elephant-headedngod. These statues may be as tiny as less than an inch (2 cm) ornenormous—70 feet (21 m) or more! The tallest of these models ofnLord Ganesha was about 117 feet tall (35 m). n
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nUnfortunately,nat the end of the festival (10 or 12 days for now), the tradition isnto immerse the Ganesh models in lakes or rivers. In the olden days,npeople created the statues out of the mud near their homes, and theynreturned the mud to the Earth with this immersion—but nowadays,nmany people buy or make Plaster of Paris models adorned withnbeautiful paints that include heavy metals such as mercury andncadmium. Plaster is non-biodegradable and doesn’t dissolve in water,nand of course the heavy metals in the paint cause water pollution.nMany intricate Ganesh models have non-biodegradable accessories thatnaccumulate on the shores of the lakes and rivers.
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nThengovernment of Trinidad and Tobago, where many Hindu people celebratenthis holiday, has launched efforts to educate the people about thenpollution problems caused by some Ganesh statues. There are manynpossible solutions being urged and tried. Of course, some people arengoing back to using natural clay; in contrast, some people buynpermanent statues made of stone or brass, which can be immersed fornsymbolic purposes but which don’t dissolve (and can be used yearnafter year). And some people love their painted plaster models butnimmerse them in tanks of water rather than public waterways.
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nChecknout this video of hundreds of people gathering to enjoy eachnother’s Ganesh models—and to immerse them lakes and rivers.
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nChecknout these amazing pictures of the Lord Ganesha.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nCelebratenNew Words Day
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nAnniversarynof the patenting of an ice cream maker
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nPlannAhead!
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nChecknout my Pinterest pages on Septembernholidays, Septembernbirthdays,nand historicalnanniversaries in September.
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest pages on Octobernholidays, Octobernbirthdays,nand historicalnanniversaries in October.
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