Dhanteras

On this day, people purchase utensils and jewellery to bring good luck. Dhanteras usually falls 1-2 days before Diwali.

You may be asking, why is Dhanteras celebrated and what does it mean?

Just like many indian festivals, Dhanteras is also linked to some famous Hindu myths.
The story for this day goes a little something like this: The horoscope of a king's son predicted that he would die on the fourth day of his mairage after getting
bitten by a snake. On the 4th day, his wife decided to help and kept him awake by telling him stories so he wouldn't sleep. To make sure the snake couldn't
enter the room, she layed out all the jewlery and coins at the enterance in a big pile. It is beileved when the God of Death came in the disguise of a snake, he
was blinded by all the dazaling jewlery and coins. He could not enter the chamber this way and he also got hooked to the stories the prince's wife was telling.
It is beileved that the snake silently left in the morning, sparring the prince's life.

Another interesting story that is quite popular is one that has to do with Lord Dhanvantani(dhun-van-ta-re), the Hindu god of
medicine and in incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He arose from the ocean of Milk, carrying with him the nectar of immortality. The
ocean was churned by the Gods and the demons on the day of Dhanteras.

Since then, Dhanteras is known as one of the most auspicious days and one of the biggest festivals for Hindus.On this day, people worship Lord Yamaraja, the god
of death and jusice. They worship him at night and offer prayers to seek blessings. Just before Diwali, most people will clean their entire house and decorate it with lights
and diyas to keep negative energy and evil forces away. Dhanteras engages themes of cleansing, renewal, and the securing of auspiciousness as embodied by Laksmi.

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