The festive season is upon us and in a few days, we'd be gearing up to celebrate Diwali. Diwali is preceded and succeeded by a number of other festivals. The festive extravaganza starts with Dhanteras that falls today, October 25 this year. Dhanteras is a significant festival for Hindus. Dhanteras is followed by Chhoti Diwali, Diwali, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. On the auspicious day of Dhanteras, people purchase some form of precious metal like gold, silver, copper, as a mark of good luck. 'Dhan' in Hindi refers to 'wealth'. It is believed that the purchases you make on this day are propitious and bring in prosperity and wealth in the household. Here's all that you wanted to know about the ancient festival.
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Date, Time, Muhurat of Dhanteras:
Dhanteras Puja on Friday, October 25, 2019
Dhanteras Puja Muhurat - 07:08 PM to 08:15 PM
Duration - 01 Hour 07 Mins
Yama Deepam on Saturday, October 26, 2019
Pradosh Kaal - 05:42 PM to 08:15 PM
Vrishabha Kaal - 06:50 PM to 08:45 PM
Trayodashi Tithi Begins - 07:08 PM on Oct 25, 2019
Trayodashi Tithi Ends - 03:46 PM on Oct 26, 2019 (Source: Drikpanchang.com)
Significance of Dhanteras
Dhanteras is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Karthik. Dhanteras is also known as Dhantrayodashi or Dhanvantari Trayodashi. On this holy occasion, Hindus worship Lord Dhanvantari, the God of health, Ayurveda and medicine. According to legends, during the Samudra Manthan (churning of ocean) episode between devas and asuras, Lord Dhanvantari emerged from the ocean with a vessel full of elixir or amrit on the day of Dhanteras. According to some legends, Goddess Laxmi also appeared on the day of Trayodashi. Both Lord Dhanvantari and Goddess Laxmi are worshipped on the day of Dhanteras.
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People clean their houses and paint them before Dhanteras. On the day of Dhanteras, people purchase metal as a sign of good luck. Some of them also purchase kitchen utensils and electronics on the auspicious day. On the night of Dhanteras, diyas (lamps) are kept burning all through the night until Chhoti Diwali or Naraka Chaturdashi.
Festive Foods To Celebrate Dhanteras
While there are no special foods for Dhanteras, many people refrain from eating non-vegetarian food. Since the festival lays so much emphasis on metal, it could be a good idea to incorporate them in some form in your dishes. For instance, gold and silver varq on barfi and peda, or you can use the varq to lace your yogurt too.
About Sushmita SenguptaSharing a strong penchant for food, Sushmita loves all things good, cheesy and greasy. Her other favourite pastime activities other than discussing food includes, reading, watching movies and binge-watching TV shows.