Lakshmi Puja
| Lakshmi Puja (ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ ପୂଜା) | |
|---|---|
Idol of the goddess during Lakshmi Puja | |
| Also called | Worship of Goddess Lakshmi |
| Observed by | Hindus |
| Type | Hindu |
| Significance | honour Goddess Lakshmi to bring wealth and prosperity to the family in the future |
| Celebrations | Worship of Goddess Lakshmi |
| Date | Ashvin 30 (amanta tradition) Kartika 15 (purnimanta tradition) |
| 2025 date | 20 October |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Deepavali and Tihar, Varalakshmi Vratam |
| Explanatory note on Hindu festival dates | |
|---|---|
The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).
Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. | |
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| Hinduism |
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Lakshmi Puja ( Odia: ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ ପୂଜା, romanized: Lakṣmīpūjā), Sanskrit: लक्ष्मीपूजा, romanized: Lakṣmīpūjā, Bengali/Assamese: লক্ষ্মী পূজা is a Hindu occasion for the veneration of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and the Supreme Goddess of Vaishnavism. The occasion is celebrated on the amavasya (new moon day) in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) or Kartika (according to the purnimanta tradition), on the third day of Deepavali (Tihar) in Nepal and most parts of India.
According to tradition, Lakshmi is believed to visit her devotees and bestow good fortune and her blessings upon them on this occasion. To welcome the goddess, devotees clean their houses, decorate them with finery and lights, and prepare sweet treats and delicacies as offerings. Devotees believe that the happier the goddess is during her visit, the more she blesses the family with health and wealth.
In Assam, Odisha, and Bengal, the occasion is performed on Ashvin Purnima day on the month of Ashvin, the full moon day following Vijaya Dashami and Durga Puja. This puja is also known as Kojagori Lokkhi Pujo. Women worship the goddess in the evening, after cleaning their house and decorating the floor of their houses with jhunti, alpana, or rangoli. It is celebrated in the evening with all family members participating in decorating and cleaning home as part of the puja.