Most clean house and some even go as far as to white wash their homes on this day. Flowers are placed as decorations throughout the house. This is because the goddess Lakshmi loves flowers. Some people build an altar to Lakshmi and decorate it with symbols of prosperity, cars, homes, and fake money. At night there are usually fireworks displays.
Homes are full of light.
Traditionally, wicks burning in mustard oil give off this light. However, candles are also used to light homes. Saucers, or chirags, filled with mustard oil are placed on window sills and on roofs. These lights are placed out so that the goddess, Lakshmi, will be better able to find her way to the homes of those lighting the chirags. Women and girls often set chirags afloat on the Ganges River.