Vara MahaLakshmi Pooja

Yesterday, since the baby hasn't come out yet, we (mostly my mom) were able to perform Vara MahaLakshmi pooja at my home.

Varalakshmi pooja is performed by married Indian women to pray to the Goddess Lakshmi to bring health, wealth, prosperity and wisdom to their household. It's performed typically in the July-August timeframe.

You can read more about the pooja here and how to perform the pooja here. Each family generally perform it a little differently and that tradition is followed by all the women of that family. My mom does it by smearing a coconut with turmeric paste and making the features of the face with turmeric paste and sticking jewelry depicting eyes, eyebrows, nose-ring, earrings, etc onto the turmeric. Below is the picture of the pooja coconut depicting Goddess Lakshmi

It was the first time the pooja was performed in my house and hopefully, next  year, I will be able to perform it as well. It is generally said that the way to perform this pooja is not very important - even a simple prayer to Goddess Lakshmi on a smaller scale is good when performed. I may not do it on the same scale as my mom but on a smaller scale to begin with.