Pandemic threat fails to deter Varalakshmi Vratham celebration
The Hindu
Special pujas performed in temples; markets abuzz with revellers
Varalakshmi Vratham was celebrated with devotion and religious fervour on Friday. The festival was a low-key affair last year due to COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding, the fears of a third wave this year, the people flocked to flower and vegetable markets to buy essentials for the festival, which is usually celebrated on the second Friday of Sravana Masam. Temples were spruced up and priests performed the special pujas amidst Vedic chants. Presiding deities were decked up as goddess Varalakshmi in a few temples. The festival is celebrated to propitiate the Goddess Lakshmi. Women dressed up in their traditional best performed puja. Though it is a usual practice to invite friends and relatives for lunch, many preferred it to be a family affair.
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