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I'm confused at what puja is - a festival or a ceremony? I think we did a puja one week at yoga where we had to go and place an offering (flower or whatever) by a statue and we had to chant 108 times as 108 is a sacred number in yoga. Are there different types?

Puja is both the act of worship and the altar or space for the images to be worshipped.

A puja is always given a special place in a room and many different sacred items can be kept on the puja and used during worship like Murtis (Statues), Incense, Meditation Oils, Chanting Books or Chalisas, Sacred Items. Every object associated with the ritual of Puja or worship is symbolically significant.

Requirements:
You can use a small bench or a wooden table. The size can vary if you wish to arrange more or fewer pictures and/or statues on the surface. Remember that you should be able to see the items on the altar and have easy access to make offerings during the worship.

Place the table against a wall, cover it with a clean cloth, preferably white.
The statue or image of the deity, which is called 'Vigraha' (Sanskrit: 'vi'+ 'graha') means something that is devoid of the ill effects of the planets or 'grahas', must also be arranged on the altar in a way that it leans against the wall.

Prepare a lamp (with cotton wicks soaking in oil) which represents the light in us, that is the soul, which we offer to the Absolute. Do not light these until you are ready to begin the Puja.

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