The 5 Days of Diwali:
Day 01: Dhanteras -The Festival of Wealth
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Diwali is the five-day Hindu holiday known as "the Festival of Lights" and is celebrated over five days with each day signifying a particular aspect of the festival. The five days are:
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Day 01: Dhanteras -The Festival of Wealth
The day of Dhanteras marks the beginning of Diwali celebrations. Dhanteras falls on the thirteenth day of Krishna paksh of Hindu month Karthik. The day of Dhanteras holds a lot of significance for the business community as on this day the goddess of wealth - Laxmi is worshipped. Lord Yama - the god of death is also worshipped on this day by lighting the "Yamadeepak" in order to pray for long life, peace and prosperity.
The legend behind worshipping lord Yama on Dhanteras relates to a mythology of King Hima's young son and his wife. The wife saved her husband from death by lighting candles and diyas on a heap of her jewelries and ornaments which blinded lord Yama when he came in guise of a serpent to kill her husband and thus saved him from death.
On the day of Dhanteras, Hindus consider it auspicious to buy silver, gold or at least a utensil for their home as they believe that buying "Dhan" (asset) in some form of metal will bring luck and prosperity for their family. They celebrate Dhanteras by lighting clay diyas and singing devotional songs. Businessmen perform Dhanteras puja by worshipping their "bahi-khatas" (accounts books).
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The Origins of the Hindu Festival of Diwali
The Different Spellings of Diwali
Diwali Day 03: Lakshmi Puja / Diwali
Diwali Day 04: Padwa & Govardhan Puja
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