I had the pleasure of attending the Ganesh Festival in Paris held every year, corresponding to the early September full moon. Called Ganesha Chaturthi, it is organised by the Sri Manikar Vinayakar Alayam temple based in the “Quartier Indien” (Paris’ South Asian enclave).
Whilst in takes on an entirely different aspect in India, particularly in Mumbai where it is celebrated over ten days and it includes the immersion of the Ganesh idols in water, it is no means any less enthusiastically celebrated by the Indian Diaspora, and well attended by other communities including the French, as seen from the photographs.
Arguably, these festivals do more to foster ethnic harmony between culture and help build an understanding of the ‘other’; providing a context in which to engage in fruitful communication in a festival-like atmosphere and providing ample opportunity for the Indian culture to be ’sampled’ (and by this I refer to its various foods). It also allows the ethnic Diaspora to put on a show for the other communities.
Filed under: Paris
