Lakshmi Puja
Lakshmi Puja (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी पूजा, romanized: Lakṣmī Pūjā) 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 Ashwayuja (according to the amanta tradition) or Kartika (according to the purnimanta tradition), on the third day of Deepavali (Tihar) in most part of India and Nepal. In Assam, Bengal, and Odisha, this puja is celebrated five days after Vijaya Dashami.
| Lakshmi Puja | |
|---|---|
Idol of the goddess during Lakshmi Puja | |
| Observed by | Hindus |
| Type | Hindu |
| Date | Ashwayuja 30 (amanta tradition) Karthika 15 (purnimanta tradition) |
| 2023 date | 12 November |
| 2024 date | 1 November |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Deepavali and Tihar |
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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Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and Vishnu's wife, visits her devotees, and bestows good fortune and her blessings upon them. 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 Lakshmi is during her visit, the more she blesses the family with health and wealth.
In Assam, Odisha, and Bengal, Lokkhi Puja or Lakshmi Puja (লক্ষ্মী পূজা) 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 Lakshmi in the evening, after cleaning their house and decorating the floor of their houses with alpona, or rangoli. It is celebrated in the evening with all family members participating in decorating and cleaning home as part of the puja.