Lakshmi Puja is considered the main festive day of Diwali.
Acoording to legend, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperty, good fortune and asupiciousness visits her devotees and bestows
gifts and blessings upon all of them. To welcome her, the devotees clean their entire house, decorate them with lights and prepare
good food, sweet treats and delicacies as offerings. Her devotees beileve that the happer Lakshmi is with the visit, the more she
blesses their family with health and wealth.
The Lakshmi puja is on a full moon and it is celeberated in the evening with all the family members participating in decorating
and cleaning the house as a part of the puja. Women worship goddess Laxmi in the evening after cleaning their house and decorating
the floor of their houses with alpona or rangoli.
People wear new clothes or best outfits as the evening approaches. On this day, the mothers of the family, who work hard all year, are
recognized by the family. This is because mothers are seen to embody a part of Lakshmi, the good fortune and prosperty of the household.
Small lamps filled with oil are lighted and placed in rows around the house. Important relationships and friendships are also recognized
during the day by visting relatives and friends, exchanging sweets and gifts.
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