Kalasha Sthapana (Setting up the Kalasham):

• Take a pot (Kalasham), fill it with raw rice, coins, turmeric, and kumkum.

• Place 5 or 9 mango leaves in the opening.

• Decorate a coconut with turmeric and kumkum, and place it on top of the pot.

• Tie a saree or cloth around the pot and decorate it as Goddess Lakshmi.

• Optionally, place a Varalakshmi face/mask on the Kalasham.

Ganesha Pooja:

• Invoke Lord Ganesha first with a small idol or turmeric Ganesha.

• Offer flowers, turmeric, kumkum, and modak or any sweet.

• Chant a simple Ganesha mantra like:

  “Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprabha…”

Varalakshmi Pooja:

• Light the deepam and agarbatti.

• Offer the ashtottara namavali (108 names of Goddess Lakshmi) or Lakshmi Sahasranamam.

• Offer kumkum, turmeric, bangles, flowers, fruits, coconut, and sweets.

• Tie a yellow thread (saradu) around your wrist while praying for well-being.

• If you are doing charanam pooja (washing the feet of the Goddess), pour milk, water, turmeric water, and wipe clean.

Naivedyam (Offering Food):

• Offer special dishes made for the day (e.g., payasam, sundal, vadai, etc.).

• Light camphor and do aarti.

Vrat Katha (Story Recital):

• Read or listen to the Varalakshmi Vratham Katha (story behind the vrat).

• It’s about a devoted woman named Charumathi who performed this vrat and was blessed by the Goddess.