Bobbing Ganesh (30 Aug 09)

As mentioned previously (whoops!much more previously than I intended - I wrote this blog and then forgot to hit "post blog"!), the local Hindu Tamils have been celebrating the birthday of one of their gods, Ganesh. Each village seemed to have a Ganesh festively decorated - earmarked to be tossed into the ocean. According to my sources (drivers know everything, if they don't they know someone who does) Ganesh is to be returned to his mummy when his work is done. His mother was evidently the goddess of water... TO THE BEACH he goes!!

In our adventures of driving on Saturday, we saw a smattering of small ganeshes being ceremoniously paraded toward the beach...

Sunday after church & a brunch... we spied some larger ganeshes on Lorries. For my American friends: truck, but "truck" doesn't do these vehicles justice... they are festively colored, open in the back and usually have funky horns.

Any vehicle that has "sound horn" painted on the back must be called a lorry (my apologies to the boring UK trucks - they just don't live up to my expectations of being a colorful lorry!) - I digress...

As we get closer to home (and closer to the beach) I spied a great one down a side street just begging to have it's photo taken (that would mean it was sitting still!). Kumar dutifully did a uey, hubby questioned our sanity... and wahla - glorious Ganesh in all of his psychedelic neon colors & flowers... then we peered down that little side road but what did we see....

...a parade of Ganeshes!!!

SCORE! We head down to take a photo - I, of course, bound out of the car, girls scrambling behind, hubby shaking his head (he follows), Kumar grinning (dutifully following to "protect his family") and the boys with their noses stuck in their books. (They will never be allowed to stay behind again - what fun they missed!)

With great ceremony and drum, the ganeshes would be carried to a rafty type canoe and paddled to just beyond the breakwater - well, maybe - the plaster of paris may give way and pieces may fall off - maybe even the whole Ganesh... bobbing Ganesh!!

It was great! And the boys ended up right in the thick of things as our car was completely surrounded by colorful Ganesh lorries (the blue mini-van)... we made it out with no problem and have great memories from it! Can't wait for the next festival!