Hindus of all South Indian states –except Kerala– observe Varalakshmi Vrata, which is a religious ceremony where they appease to the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Vishnu, one of the most prominent deities in Hinduism. Varalakshmi Vrata falls on either the second Friday, or the Friday before Purnima –full moon– in the fifth month of the Hindu calendar, Sravana, which overlaps with July and August on the Gregorian calendar.