In India, Lord Ganesha is worshipped first on all auspicious occasions, whether it is a marriage or a religious function. Lord Ganesha is the foremost god of the Hindu Pantheon. Any new project or venture that a Hindu family undertakes starts with his name, the housewife utters his name before even starting a small chore as he is the remover of all obstacles and is an extremely benevolent god, fulfilling the wishes of those who pray to him sincerely.
Lord Ganesha also has long been associated with commerce, and merchants still pay homage to him. In households, it’s common for small offerings of money, flowers and food to be placed before one of the family’s effigies of Lord Ganesha. These tokens please him and he therefore brings more beauty, money and food to the family.
It is also a firm belief of every religious Hindu that he/she must pray to Lord Ganesha before undertaking any job. Once, Lord Siva set off in his chariot to wage war against a demon. Soon after He set off, one of the wheels broke. Then He realized that He had forgotten to pray to Lord Ganesha. So, He went back home, prayed to His own son, and successfully defeated the demon!