Vinayaga Chaturthi
Vinayaka Chathurti is a vratham that is a celebration. A celebration all over India. Vinayaka is a simple God that is found in every street corner. He is a God that comes to your immediate rescue, when you call on him with sincerity.
He is called the first and foremost God in the Indian mythology.
Vinayaka Chathurti Vratham
Get up early in the morning, clean the house and finish your bath. If possible decorate the house with Maavilai thoranam [garland made out of mango leaves.
Vinayaka is decorated with flowers and prayer songs chanted with devotion. It is special to sing the Vinayakar akaval by Avvaiyar and Kaariya Siddhi malai and will bring Vinayakas blessings. After the prayers, the offering of kozhukkattai [a sweetmeat made out of baked rice balls], also called modhakam and other items like payasam and vadai are offered to the Lord Vinayaka on the Chathurti day.
Some mix milk, honey, jaggery, cashew, and flat rice together and offer as nivedyam.
After the offering, the Lord is shown the camphor deepam [karpooram] and the pooja is completed. It is believed to be special that till the pooja is completed one stays with an empty stomach.
Some continue the vratham till the next chathurti after the Pournami, when they will complete their fasting [vratham].
After this day, the vinayaka idol, made out of clay is immersed in any water body such as a well, lake, river or sea.
Like the yearly Vinayaka Chathurti, the monthly Chathurti is celebrated as Sankata Hara Chathurti, which is also an important event.
By taking part in these vrathams [fasting] or Vinayaka Chathurti and other monthly vrathams, the devotee is blessed by Vinayaka and all their actions complete in success, because the Vigna Raja or the remover of obstacles decimates all obstacles in the path to success.