• Sankashti Chaturthi is celebrated on the fourth day of Krishan Paksha of every lunar month
• It is a day dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the deity of knowledge and good fortune
• As per Indian traditions, Sankashti Chaturthi or "Sankat Hara Chaturthi" is observed on the fourth day of Krishan Paksha

June 13, 2017:

Lord Ganesha, popularly known as Ganpati Bappa is a prominent god in Hindu mythology. Every ritual in Hinduism begins with his pooja. He is worded as "Vighnaharta", the one who will end all the obstacles in the ceremony. He is the god of good beginnings and prosperity. He is the giver of riddhi (success and good fortune) and siddhi (Knowledge and intelligence).

As per Indian traditions, Sankashti Chaturthi or "Sankat Hara Chaturthi" is observed on fourth day of Krishan Paksha (dark lunar phase or the waning phase) of every lunar month. It is a day dedicated to Lord Ganesha and it is celebrated with great fervor in the honor of the deity. If the Sankashti Chaturthi falls on Tuesday then it is considered more auspicious and it is termed as Angaraki Chaturthi (angarak in Sanskrit means red like burning coal ambers and refers to the planet Mars, on whom Tuesday is named after). Therefore, it is celebrated on different dates of every month of a year.

Here is how the day is celebrated all across the nation and even overseas:

• • Devotees observe a strict fast on this day in the honor of Lord Ganesha.
  • The Sankashti Chaturthi pooja is done in the evening after seeing the moon. Lord Ganesha's statue is decorated with flowers and durva grass as per Indian traditions.
  • Devotees chant vedic mantras and the vrat katha dedicated to lord Ganesha. There are total 13 vrat kathas, one for each month and the 13^th story is for 'adhika' (The Hindu calendar has one extra month every 4 years).These stories are unique in the sense that the story pertaining to that month alone has to be recited.

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• During each month, Lord Ganesha is worshiped with a different name and peeta (seat).
• The fast is broken by worshipping the god succeeded by sighting of the moon. Ganapati Atharvasheersha is recited before the moonlight to invoke the blessings of Lord Ganesha.
• On this sacred day, Lord moon or Bhagwan Chandra is also worshipped. The rituals involve sprinkling water, chandan (sandalwood) paste, rice and fresh flowers in the direction of Moon or Chandra God.

It is believed that Lord Ganesha fulfills the wishes of those who worship him on this sacred day.

The concept of fasting on a particular day every month has certain physiological reasons too.It helps to detoxify the body like every other fast. During the fasting, when devotees sing songs of the Lord and the stories are narrated, a spiritual and psychological impact on the devotees is created and helps in building discipline, confidence and a feeling of harmony.

– by Nikita Tayal of NewsGram. Twitter: @NikitaTayal6