The annual Ganesha procession in Paris

Old Sep 2nd, 2013, 03:51 AM
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The annual Ganesha procession in Paris

I have posted about this before, but it gets bigger and better every year, so those of you who are already planning next year's late summer trip to Paris, keep in mind that next year it will be on either August 31st or September 7th.

Here is my report about this year's event which took place yesterday: http://tinyurl.com/l7a7c8n
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Old Sep 4th, 2013, 01:22 PM
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Thanks for another great report on this traditional event. Love the vivid colors and exotic components of this procession - coconuts, peacock feathers, traditional dress, elephant. And how nice you have a great view from your apartment!
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Old Aug 27th, 2016, 02:50 AM
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Just bringing this up for anybody who is in Paris this weekend. The annual Ganesha procession is tomorrow, August 28.

The starting point is the Ganesh temple at 17 rue Pajol, right next to the La Chapelle metro station on line 2.

http://templeganesh.fr/ch.htm
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Old Aug 27th, 2016, 08:27 AM
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ratha yatra, (ISKCON/vaishnavas) is usually on in late june.
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Old Aug 27th, 2016, 10:02 AM
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Very interesting. Thanks, kerouac.
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Old Aug 27th, 2016, 11:13 AM
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Unfortunately, due to security concerns, the paper reported that the Ganesha parade would be about half the size as in previous years.
Most people wouldn't miss it for the world, though - the costumes, colors and excitement are truly envigorating.
It's a wonderful parade, heatwave or not.
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Old Aug 28th, 2016, 09:12 AM
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Thanks for the report and beautiful pictures.
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Old Aug 28th, 2016, 10:50 AM
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Yes, fuzz, thanks to Daech the procession was much shorter, and there were far more police with automatic rifles than in the past (Actually, in the past there were some police but not with automatic rifles.). However, since the turnaround point of the procession was right in front of my building, at least for me it was better than ever. I really feel sorry for the areas (and Indian/Srilankan commerces) that were left out this year, though.

The website of the temple optimistically said that the change was for this year only and that everything would be back to normal next year. If only.
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Old Aug 28th, 2016, 11:14 AM
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I'm curious on how they limited the size of the celebration, Kerouac. You say " -- the areas (and Indian/Srilankan commerces) that were left out --" I thought Ganesha was Indian, and do you mean that the organizations marching could only come from certain arrondissements?
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Old Aug 28th, 2016, 11:40 AM
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I confess that I was not clear about how this works. Anybody in the world can march in the procession, but the whole point of the procession is to "bless" (?) the various shops along the way. The shops each build an altar and pile up coconuts to be smashed when the marchers arrive (this represents the fragility of the world).

The procession has always been devised to pass directly in front of the maximum of Hindu owned shops in the 10th and 18th arrondissements to obtain the greatest possible amount of karma. This year it had to skip more than half of them. However, 4 or 5 places lucked out because they were included in the rerouting after having been skipped in the past.
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Old Aug 28th, 2016, 11:47 AM
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Here is my little bonus video in case it amuses anybody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjBxySuLORc

And here is my visit to the temple this morning: http://tinyurl.com/templeganesh
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Old Aug 28th, 2016, 04:40 PM
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The Faubourg St-Denis is my least favorite part of Paris. Tourists should avoid Chapelle and Strasbourg St-Denis metro stations.
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Old Aug 28th, 2016, 10:05 PM
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That means, that, knowing you from your comments, I am going to heartily recommend exactly those areas. Thank you, thank you, for pointing them out.
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Old Sep 1st, 2019, 03:55 PM
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And once again, I attended the Ganesha procession on September 1st, 2019.

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