Dhanteras marks the beginning of Deepavali celebrations with a special significance for the business community as on this day the goddess of wealth – Laxmi is worshiped.
Yama — the god of death is also honoured and a Yamadeepak is lit to pray for the long life, peace and prosperity of family and friends.

 Legend has it that a young wife saved her husband from death by lighting candles and diyas on a pile of  jewellery and ornaments. She dazzled Yama with the blaze and saved her husband from death.

Many people celebrate Dhanteras by buying silver, gold or at least a utensil for their home as they believe that buying Dhan in some form of metal will bring luck and prosperity into the family.

Sunitha and Amit Chawla celebrate Dhanteras by lighting clay diyas around the home, decking it with flowers and keeping their account books or bahi-khatas in the pooja room but the real highlight is the shopping spree that includes jewellery buying.

“I really believe that jewellery bought at this time brings me luck when I wear it. This year I have picked up an antique ruby set with uncut diamonds that I have had the jeweller adapt and modernise from my grandmother’s wedding design,” she says. “We also add a little to our store of family coins in gold and silver which are offered  with the prayers each year,” she adds.

Saket and Nandhini Bhartiya and their five-year-old daughter Navya start their three-day Deepavali celebrations with a big bang on Dhanteras.

“We shop for everyone in the family including staff, buying new clothes for each day of the celebrations. Jewellery is sometimes on the shopping list but what is really important is buying silver coins that we offer in the pooja. The old coins are polished and new ones added to the collection each year. Household things are also bought when necessary and the home is traditionally decorated with lamps, and flowers. Rangoli patterns are drawn either in coloured powders, flower petals or coloured rice which my daughter Navya loves. Friends and family drop in to play cards or exchange sweets and good wishes. It’s the time for shopping and sharing,” says Saket.

For Sharmila and Aniruddh Gupta, Dhanteras is a time for bringing out the family silver which is in the form of coins and ornaments collected over the years, polishing it to a mirrored finish and adding it to the pooja accessories.

“We also faithfully buy jewellery each year, something I pick out in advance adding a small but carefully designed piece to build up a wedding collection for our daughter Priya who is only twelve,” adds Sharmila.