Dhanteras Celebration 2020— History and Significance

rnDhanteras marks the first day of the grand celebration of Diwali that lasts long for 5 days. It is celebrated by the Hindu on the thirteenth day of the Krishna Paksha, the month of Kartik. Dhanteras stands for Dhan-money or wealth and Teras means the thirteenth day. On this day, Devotees worship Lord Dhanvantari, the God of Ayurveda. It is considered that Lord Dhanvantari regained and helped humankind by imparting the wisdom of Ayurveda to get rid of the horrible diseases. History of Ayurveda Ayurveda has a wonderful history for centuries and is still used by the world and its doctors to cure diseases around the globe. And, this is why, The Indian Ministry of Ayurveda, Unani, Yoga and Naturopathy, Suddha and Homoeopathy, first introduced the festival of Dhanteras, as the ‘National Ayurveda Day’ on 28th October in 2016. Legend linked with Dhanteras According to Hindu mythology, Dhanteras is the first day of Diwali festivity of 5 long days, which is associated with a wonderful story about the 16-years-old son of King Hima. Once, King Hima showed his son's palm to an astrologer for his good fortune, then it is predicted that the Prince would get bitten by a snake and die on the 4th day of his marriage. After his son’s marriage, on the fourth day, his wife had surrounded the entrance of their chamber with silver and gold ornaments. She then stayed up all night along with her husband, telling stories and singing beautiful songs so that she could prevent him from sleeping. The ornaments and jewels of entrance dazzled the God of Death, Yama, so much. On seeing such an alluring, he decided to let the prince live. And thus, the next day came to be known and celebrated as the festival of Dhanteras. Another Legend is linked to Lord Indra According to another legend story, once a sage named Durvasa cursed Lord Indra; the god of heaven, said, “As the pride has reached your head, let Lakshmi leave you”. The curse acted soon and Lakshmi left Lord Indra and in turn, Indra became weak and then demons tried to enter heaven. Eventually, they entered and defeated Indra. After some years, Indra begged Lord Brahma and then they visited Lord Vishnu. There, Lord Vishnu instructed them to churn the sea of milk. As per the instructions, Indra and other gods did the same and drank the milk that had come out from Samudra Manthan and Amrit Pan after defeating the demons and the gods became powerful again. The story connected to Goddess Parvati In this story, Goddess Parvati was in a playful mood and she wanted to play dice with Lord Shiva and eventually, she won the game. Thus, it has become a custom of playing dice and gambling among businessmen and tradesmen so that wealth and prosperity never leave them. Celebration of Dhanteras The Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, is worshiped on Dhanteras in order to gain prosperity and wealth. Families prepare for this day so that they can welcome Goddess into their houses. So, the families get up early in the morning and clean the entire house. And, the family begins for the coming festivity which lasts for 5 days, starting with Dhanteras. On this day, after cleaning the house, they get ready and wear new garments. However, this is a common ritual in India. rnPeople purchase valuable items such as gemstones, ornaments, and any household appliance, made of metal. rnThese all symbolize the bringing in Lakshmi; prosperity and wealth into the house. It is also believed that this brings good health and fortune to family members. And, many people in India wait for this day to buy expensive electronics such as automobiles, phones, kitchen appliances, utensils, and more.