This festival is celebrated with much pomp and joy by the Hindu Community.  It marks the birthday of Lord Ganesh, who, in Hindu Mythology, is considered to be the Remover of Obstacles and the Lord of Wisdom. On the eve of the celebrations, Lord Ganesha Statues are blessed in various temples and households and taken for immersion in the sea. Mauritius  being an island with sea on all sides, devotees from different villages and towns take part in the "Shova Yatra" and proceed to the beaches for the immersion of the idols. In Baie du Cap processions are held with devotees escorting pink, elephant-nosed effigies to the sea and dusting onlookers with scarlet powder.