Dhanteras is an auspicious day for the Hindus and it is celebrated on the first day of the five-day-long Diwali festival. This festival is also known as “Dhantrayodash” and is widely celebrated all over India by almost every community. To mark this day, people used to buy new utensils and gold to bring good luck to their homes and families. This day holds profound cultural and mythological significance and it’s that time of the year when people engage themselves in various customs and rituals.
Just like other festivals, Dhanteras too has its own religious significance and is also related to famous Hindu mythological stories.
Dhanteras 2023: Religious History
The word ‘Dhanteras’ is basically derived from two words – “Dhan” which means ‘wealth’ and “Teras” which means ‘the thirteenth day of the lunar fortnight’. The origin of Dhanteras can be traced back to ancient Hindu mythology which is related to prominent Hindu legends.
One of the legends tells the story of a 16-year-old son of King Hima who was doomed to die on the 4th day of his marriage due to a snake bite. But it can be seen that his newly married wife didn’t let him sleep the whole night and placed all her gold and silver ornaments and also lit several lamps at the entrance of their house. She also performed songs and told stories to him all throughout the night to ensure that he didn’t fall asleep.
As predicted, the God of Death, Yama arrived in the form of a serpent but he was blinded by the charm of the jewellery and the lamps. Unable to enter, Yama returned and the life of the young prince was spared. This tradition of buying new items, especially metals and gold and lighting lamps and diyas is observed to destroy evil and embrace health and prosperity.
Another legend links Dhanteras to the churning of the ocean, known as Samudra Manthan in the search for nectar to achieve immortality. During the Manthan, several divine gifts also emerged, including the Goddess of wealth Lakshmi and Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods.
Dhanteras is also believed to be the day when Goddess Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, appeared with the knowledge of Ayurveda which can heal and protect humankind.
Dhanteras 2023: Celebrations and traditions
Dhantereas is a day where people celebrate wealth both in the form of material and spiritual. People used to worship Goddess Lakshmi and seek her blessings. Also, houses are cleaned, decorated and to enhance the beauty of your home and living space beautiful rangolis were made at the entrance.
Few things that you should avoid buying on Dhanteras.
One of the most significant traditions of Dhanteras is buying and gifting precious metals, particularly gold and silver to your loved ones and relatives. It means that buying new metals on Dhanteras brings good luck, wealth and prosperity. Closed ones come together to celebrate the festival with grandeur, enjoyment and lots of sweets. It’s a time to cherish the bond of togetherness and express gratitude for the blessings of wealth and well-being.
