How is Varalakṣmī Vratam done, and on which day?

on the Friday just before Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā, married women invoke Lakṣmī in a decorated kalaśa and tie a sacred thread (doraka) on the wrist.

Varalakṣmī Vratam is a major festival in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. “Vara” means boon: Lakṣmī is worshipped as the giver of all blessings for the family.

On Thursday the house is cleaned and decorated with kolam or rangoli. On Friday a kalaśa is filled with rice, coins, turmeric and betel, topped with a coconut, and dressed as the Goddess with a silver or turmeric face, a sari and jewellery. Lakṣmī is invoked, worshipped with the Aṣṭottara, flowers and many naivedyas, and the kathā is read. A yellow thread with nine knots, the doraka, is worshipped and tied on the right wrist. In the evening, women are invited for tāmbūla and haldi-kumkum.

If that Friday is not possible because of periods or sūtak, many families do it on a following Friday in Śrāvaṇa.

Tradition says Lakṣmī appeared in a dream to Cārumatī, a devoted wife, and taught her this vrata; when she and the women of her town kept it, their homes were filled with prosperity.

Friday before Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā · Source: Skanda Purāṇa tradition; South Indian family practice

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