It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his son Ganesha as superior to all the gods, barring Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel. The festival, also known as Ganeshotsav ("festival of Ganesha") is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period).
On this day we welcome Ganpati idol at home and do puja archana. In this Puja archana a sweet called Modak which is the favorite of Lord Ganesh is prepared and offered to god Ganesha along with flowers and fruits and then distributed this modak prasad to all family members. Some of the special dishes and sweets are also prepared on this day beside Modak as Besan ke ladoo, Boondi ke ladoo, Rava Ladoo, Masala Vadai and Puran Poli etc.