This year's Ganeshotsav will run for 12 days instead of 10 or 11
Panchang experts say the longer 12 day Ganesh festival this year is due to a calendar overlap, not any rare astrological alignment.
This year's Ganeshotsav will not last 10 or 11 days as usual, but a full 12 days. Bappa's arrival is on September 14, and this year Hartalika and Ganesh Chaturthi fall on the same day. The extended tithi (lunar date) is the reason for the longer duration.
Various claims and talk of a rare astrological alignment have been circulating on social media over the 12 day festival. But panchang experts have clarified that there is nothing extraordinary or rare about it, it is simply a change caused by the mathematics of the tithi.
Ganeshotsav begins on September 14. Public Ganeshotsav mandals are making elaborate preparations for religious and cultural programmes. This year's festival will run for 12 days instead of the usual 10 or 11, which has led to various discussions on social media. Since Hartalika and Ganesh Chaturthi fall on the same day this year, Ganeshotsav will begin on that day itself.
In Hinduism, all festivals are observed according to the tithi. Sometimes a tithi is skipped, and sometimes it is extended. This year Ganesh Chaturthi falls on Tritiya, so counting from Tritiya to Anant Chaturdashi adds up to a full 12 days. This is why this year's festival will last 12 days.
The pran pratishtha of Ganpati idols in homes is performed on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi, while public Ganpati idols are immersed on Anant Chaturdashi. These are the dates counted from Chaturthi to Chaturdashi, since all festivals depend on the tithi and not the calendar date. Normally, this group of tithis from Chaturthi to Chaturdashi totals 11 tithis. Sometimes there is a slight extension, and sometimes a tithi is skipped. This is why Ganpati festivities sometimes last 10 days, and sometimes 11.
This year, Bappa's arrival falls on September 14, 2026, which is Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya, the day of Hartalika itself. This is why the count has to begin from Tritiya this time. Counting from Tritiya to Anant Chaturdashi, from September 14 to September 25 makes a full 12 days. So this figure of 12 days is not any rare alignment.
It is being said on social media that this alignment has come after several years, but in reality this is not the case, it is simply a misunderstanding. The count of days varies depending on the calculation behind the extension or skipping of a tithi. Panchang experts have made it clear that this year's 12 day Ganeshotsav is not any special or rare alignment.
