Twitter rolls out first-ever special Ganesh Chaturthi emoji

The emoji which gets activated when a Tweet is posted using #GaneshChaturthi, #HappyGaneshChaturthi, and #Ganeshotsav, went live on the evening of Sunday, September 4, 2016.

It is that time of the year again when Indians across the country and the world get ready to welcome the elephant God Ganesha (lovingly called 'Bappa'), into their homes and hearts. Leveraging the festive connect with its users, the microblogging site Twitter has come up with a unique Lord Ganesha Twitter emoji that Indians can tweet to welcome Ganesha on Monday, September 5, 2016.

The emoji which gets activated when a Tweet is posted using #GaneshChaturthi, #HappyGaneshChaturthi, and #Ganeshotsav, the first and the last hashtags in Hindi as well, went live on the evening of Sunday, September 4, 2016, and will be active until the last day of celebrations, on Friday, September 16, 2016.

According to Viral Jani, head, media partnerships, Twitter India, the site is the best way to see what's happening in the world right now. "We are the live connection to India's cultural diversity, festivals, and languages that showcase the spirit of unity. Over the past year, we have seen the nation come together over cultural events and religious occasions such as Diwali, and local festivals such as Makar Sankranti. This time, we are launching a special Twitter emoji for Ganesh Chaturthi to delight those who are celebrating this local cultural moment."

During the 10-day festival, Twitter will help Indians across the country to share photos and videos of their favourite pandals, decorations, street processions, as well as festival food and sweets, traditional clothes, and the joy of meeting friends and family.

In the past, Twitter has celebrated Indian culture by announcing customised emojis for significant days such as Independence Day, Republic Day, and the International Day of Yoga. The first-ever Diwali emoji was announced in November 2015, and the #HappyDiwali emoji received 1.8 million tweets, says the company in a press release.

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