Dhanteras which is also called Dhanatrayodashi is basically the first day that marks the festival of Diwali in India. It is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day Krishna Paksha in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik.
On this day prayers are offered to Tulsi Plant in the form of Diyas which are placed on the doorways at home. This year according to astrologers the right time for the puja of Dhanteras is from 5:32 to 5:59 PM.
Lord Dhanvantari is worshipped on this day. He is also considered the lord of Ayurveda, who imparted the wisdom of Ayurveda for the better treatment of humanity. The Indian Ministry of AYUSH decided to observe Dhanteras as the National Ayurveda Day which began from 28th October 2016.
The festival is celebrated as Lakshmi Puja. On the night of Dhanteras, diyas (lamps) are ritually kept burning all through the night in honor of Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Dhanvantari.
Hindus consider this as an extremely auspicious day for making new purchases, especially for gold and silver articles and new utensils. It is believed that new dhan or some item made of precious metal is a sign of good luck. It is also considered a very auspicious day for buying gold, silver and other metals especially kitchenware. Many people also consider buy various other products such as appliances and automobiles.
