Diwali...

Dhanteras marks the beginning of the five-day Diwali Festival. This day falls on the auspicious thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Ashwin (October/November). 'Dhan' means wealth and 'teras' indicates the thirteenth day.

According to popular legend, when the gods and demons churned the ocean for Amrit, Dhanvantari (the physician of the gods and an incarnation of Vishnu) emerged carrying a jar of the elixir on the day of Dhanteras.

On Dhanteras people consider it auspicious to purchase gold or silver articles or at least one or two new utensils. It is believed that new “Dhan” or some form of precious metal is a sign of good luck. "Laxmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when earthen diyas are lit 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 people lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer this as Naivedya. In villages, cattle are adorned and worshiped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In south India, cows are offered particularly special veneration because they are thought of as incarnations of the Goddess Lakshmi. Deepdaan is an important ritual observed on Dhanteras day in many regions. Lamps are lit in the name of all family members and ancestors and are floated in a river or pond.