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Deccan Herald » Festivals>>Dhanteras
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October
19:
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Dhanteras :
Dhanteras falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin and marks the beginning of Diwali.
 Dhanteras is celebrated to seek blessings of Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. The day is considered auspicious and people purchase gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils. This day is of particular significance to the mercantile community.
Traditional Rangoli welcomes the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Small footprints (Lakshmi Pada) are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder as going inside the house. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs in praise of Goddess Laxmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess. In Maharashtra, lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
The story behind Dhanteras
King Hima had a sixteen year old son whose horoscope indicated he was doomed to die by a snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lit innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on telling stories and singing songs. When Yama, the god of Death arrived in the guise of a Serpent his eyes got blinded by the brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there
all night listening to the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly left. Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the day of "YAMADEEPDAAN" and lamps are kept burning
through the night in reverential adoration to Yama, the god of Death.
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