Dhanteras Legends

According to a fascinating account of the Dhanteras Festival, King Hima once had a sixteen-year-old son.was predicted by his horoscope to die on the fourth day of his marriage from a snake bite. His young wife prevented him from sleeping on the fourth day of their marriage. At the entrance to her husband's bedroom, she arranged all of the ornaments and numerous gold and silver coins in a large heap and lit numerous lamps throughout the space. She also continued to sing and tell stories.

When Yama, the god of death, showed up in the form of a serpent, his eyes became blinded by the bright lights, and he was unable to enter the Prince's room. As a result, he ascended to the top of the collection of coins and ornaments and sat there all night listening to the melodious songs. He quietly left the next day. As a result, the young wife saved her husband from certain death. Since then, this day of Dhanteras has been called "Yamadeepdaan," and lamps are lit all night to show reverent adoration for Yam, the god of death.

Dhanavantri, the physician of the gods and an incarnation of Vishnu, emerged on the day of Dhanteras carrying a jar of the elixir when the gods and demons churned the ocean for Amrit or nectar.

Dhanteras Preparations

Houses and businesses are renovated and decorated to celebrate the auspicious day. To welcome the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, entrances are decorated with lovely traditional motifs from Rangoli designs in a colorful way. Small footprints are made all over the houses using rice flour and vermilion powder to signal her long-awaited arrival. The lights are always on throughout the night.

Traditions of Dhanteras On Dhanteras, Hindus believe that purchasing new utensils or gold or silver objects is beneficial. New "Dhan" or some kind of precious metal is thought to bring good luck." Laxmi-Puja" is a nighttime ritual in which tiny Diyas made of clay are lit to ward off evil spirits. Bhajans, or devotional songs, are also sung in praise of Goddess Laxmi.

Celebrations of Dhanteras

Dhanteras is celebrated with fervor and enthusiasm. The evening ritual of "Lakshmi-Puja" involves lighting small clay diyas to ward off evil spirits. Bhajans, or devotional songs, are sung in praise of Goddess Laxmi, and traditional sweets called "Naivedya" are offered to the Goddess. In Maharashtra, dry coriander seeds are pounded lightly with jaggery and offered as Naivedya.

Farmers in rural areas adorn and worship cattle as their primary source of income. Since cows are believed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi in the south, they are adorned and worshiped on this day because of this. 

A large section of Indian Society buys metals on this day as this day is considered holy for this purpose. Dhanteras Gold is a special acronym people use to mark this special occasion.