An Early Morning Puja

Today is a holiday- a day to celebrate the God Ganesh, who is the God of new beginnings and of good luck!
This morning I woke up early (sleeplessness) and layed in bed for a few hours before my host mother knocked on the door at 7:15 a.m. to wake me up. We had been planning to attend the puja this morning (the one starting at 5:00 a.m.) but she had slept in and we therefore decided to go late.
We left the house ten minutes after getting up with Babu (one of the little girls nextdoor) and walked down the street a few blocks to the Temple- skipping over mud puddles, broken asphalt, and dodging the traffic that was already buzzing around the roads.
We arrived at the entrance of the Temple to find an arch over the gate, constructed completely from large green leaves, bananas and branches. We took off our chappals at the gate and went in- walking over a cement floor that had recently been washed with cow dung, and painted with many designs called "kolams" that had been drawn this morning. A "kolam" is an auspicious design that are often seen drawn on doorsteps and floors during a holiday. The "ink" that is used to draw a kolam is made from ground rice mixed with water to create a paste. It is believed that kolams will attract ants- giving them something to eat and therefore saving the household from any ant problems.
When the puja began, the many people that had gathered at the Temple crowded around the elaborate shrine that had been set up for Ganesha. The statue of the God himself was inside a small. three walled room, and the opening was covered with a curtain with a picture of Ganesha on it (so as to not reveal the God yet). We watched as the "Iyers" (basically the priests) stepped over a floor blanketed in offerings- bananas, coconuts, chocolate, flowers, plants, etc.- and chanted. At the end of one portion of his chanting, the Iyer (pronounced "eye-AIR") went inside the curtain blocking the God, and slowly opened the curtain, unveiling Ganesh who was completely laden with strings of flowers, fruits, and many other offerings. At this moment, the crowd watching put their hands together in prayer, and those who could chanted along with the Iyer who was now chanting again. The Iyer then closed the curtain- signifying that the puja was over.
Everyone then gathered around a table where a few men were serving food that had been blessed by the God- a few kinds of rice, and sambar.
When Babu had finished eating her rice (she is a VERY slow eater!) we walked back to the apartments, stopping quickly along the way at a small shop to buy a few snacks and vegetables to bring home with us.
p.s. I just wanted to let everyone know that (for some reason) my internet on my laptop is down, so I'm using my host mother's computer and therefore will probably not be able to answer to too many emails. Don't worry! I'm fine- we're going to get it fixed soon!