SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
Ganesh Chaturti, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesh, comes along with different colours of the season, to make his stay in each Hindu household a comfortable experience. The matoli consists of an assortment of fruits and vegetables that are tied above the makkar either on a string or to a wooden frame attached to the roof above the idol. The fervour and joy that goes into these decorations and preparatory activities set the tone for the entire festival. It is also believed that since Lord Ganesh is considered the ultimate provider, the fruits and vegetables of the season are offered to him with a prayer for a more fruitful produce the next year.
A traditional matoli usually consists of fruits like chikoo, banana, orange, melon, mangoes, hog plums (ambade), carambolas, pumpkin, apple, guava, breadfruit, avocado, pomegranate, grapefruit, pomelo (toring), custard apple, coconut, pineapple, lemon, sugarcane, betel nut, etc. Vegetables comprise of banana flowers, pumpkin, lady finger, cucumber, musk melon, snake gourd (padwal), ridge gourd (gousauli) and a different type of pumpkin called Konkan dudhi. The list of berries include mauvling, kangla, nagsheo, gagrueo, kounna, karane, matta and flowers include haranche fulla, maddachi poin and finally mango leaves. The amount of fruits and vegetables hung on a single matoli can sometimes amount to 150 items.
In rural areas, people usually set out to collect colourful leaves, berries and flowers from the wild for their matoli. Before Ganesh Chaturthi, all the local markets of Goa are buzzing with vendors selling items not usually seen there. The market gets flooded with seasonal fruits, vegetables and rare berries. With various Matoli bazaars popping up in different places, people can select what they require to decorate their matolis.
