- By Aanchal Sharma
- Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The festivities of Diwali will begin next week with ‘Dhanteras’. The auspicious festival of lights will be a 5-day celebration across India, with homes being decorated with colorful rangolis and lights.
This year, Dhanteras 2022 will be celebrated on October 22, 2022. The festival is celebrated with people buying new utensils and jewelry. Notably, ‘Dhanteras’ falls on the thirteenth day of the Hindu calendar’s auspicious month of Krishna Paksha and is made up of two words ‘Dhan’ and ‘Teras’.
Take a look at more important details of Dhanteras:
Dhanteras 2022 History
The story behind the festival of Dhanteras goes back to ancient times when there was a mighty king named Hima. The king took care of his entire kingdom just like his family with all love and warmth. When Hima had a son, astrologers predicted that his son would face the end of his life due to snake bite in the sixteenth year of his life.
This led to Hima’s search for different ways how he could save his son. Following astrologers, Hima got his son married to a girl who was known to have a lucky horoscope. The duo lived happily for a few years. When the boy was to turn 16, his wife made a plan and assembled all her jewelry at the main door. The girl asked her husband not to fall asleep and both of them stayed awake all night guarding the main door.
The god of death, Lord Yama arrived to their residence in the form of a serpent, just like the astrologers predicted. While the snake tried to enter the house, the jewellery that was kept in the front blocked its way.
Meanwhile, the girl kept singing melodious songs to distract the snake. The serpent too kept listening to her tunes and the time of Hima’s son’s death passed. Thus, Lord Yama returned without taking Hima’s son’s life. This birthed the ritual of Dhanteras.
Dhanteras 2022 Significance
Hindus worship Lord Dhanvantari on the occasion of Dhanteras. It is believed that the deity emerged during Samudra Manthan while holding a Kalash full of Amrit in one hand and the sacred text about Ayurveda in the other. It is widely believed that Lord Dhanvantari emerged carrying a jar of the elixir on the day of Dhanteras. Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Kuber are also worshipped on this day.