The festival of Dhanteras is celebrated two days before the festival of Deepawali or Diwali. On this day Hindus venerate Lord Dhanvantri, who is the God of medicine and good health. The day is also considered auspicious for purchasing gold and silver ornaments or any other household item, for that matter. Dhanteras is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight falling in the month of Karthik. Celebrated with total festive fervor, Dhanteras marks the beginning of Diwali festival.
We have provided below short and long essay on Dhanteras in English for your knowledge and information.
After going through these Dhanteras essay you will know why is Dhanteras celebrated, when is Dhanteras celebrated, how is Dhanteras celebrated, what is the significance of Dhanteras etc.
The essays will be extremely useful in your school/college assignments where you have to write an essay, give speech or take part in a debate competition.
Dhanteras is celebrated two days before the festival of Diwali and is celebrated on the thirteenth Lunar Day of Dark fort night.
On this day Lord Dhanvantri is worshipped who is the God of Ayurveda and good health. He gave the knowledge of Ayurveda to the humans and helps them get rid of suffering and disease.
Dhanteras is fervently celebrated by Hindus who consider it an auspicious day for the purchase of ornaments or household articles. Markets are packed on the day with people buying gold and silver jewelry, coins, and the other valuable items.
Even the sale of vehicles goes high during Diwali festival especially on the day of Dhanteras. While Dhanteras is a holiday for schools and offices, the markets are open till late night as it is the peak time for businesses.
People can be seen going for the market in the evening for shopping articles and jewelry. Hindus believe that buying precious items on Dhanteras bring good luck and will keep them prosperous and healthy throughout the year.
On Dhanteras light lamps are released in the sky and are placed at the house’s entrance as a good omen and to wade off evil and misfortune.
Introduction
Dhanteras is the festival of prosperity and good health celebrated two days prior to the Festival of Diwali. The festival worships God Dhanvantri who is according to the Hindu mythology god of good health and Ayurveda.
How is Dhanteras Celebrated?
Lakshmi Puja is also performed during the festival for bringing prosperity in the house. The most important thing to do on Dhanteras as per the Hindu custom is to buy expensive jewelry, kitchenware or automobiles. Buying expensive items on Dhanteras is believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the year.
Bhajans are sung by the devotees and worship of Goddess Lakshmi performed on Dhanteras. In some places there is also a tradition of worshipping cows as they provide the mankind with necessary supplements to survive like milk and curd.
Dhanteras marks the beginning of Diwali festival and everyone seems to be sinking in the festival mood beginning on Dhanteras. It is also the last day for cleaning the houses before Diwali. Houses those have not been cleaned till Dhanteras are cleaned for Deepawali.
Colourful rangolis made from flour and coloured rice adorns the entrance of every house. People burn diyas to shoo away bad spirits and evil and to welcome prosperity in their houses. Beginning on Dhanteras the children start buying crackers and other fireworks for Diwali.
Dhanteras is considered very auspicious for purchase of valuable household or personal articles. People buy ornaments, jewelry and expensive kitchenware. It is believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the year. Automobile sales also increase on the day of Dhanteras.
Conclusion
According to the Hindu mythology both Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Dhanvantri came out on the day from the ocean when it was being churned for elixir or Amrit. This is the reason why both Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Dhanvantri are worshipped on Dhanteras. This also explains the significance of the festival for Hindus.
Introduction
The festival of Dhanteras is also called Dhantrayodashi or Dhanvantri Trayodashi and is the first day of three day long Diwali festival. It is celebrated on the thirteenth day of dark fortnight in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Ashwin, usually falling in the Gregorian months of October-November.
Significance of Dhanteras
The festival especially commemorates Dhanvantri, the Hindu God who invented Ayurveda for making human life free of diseases and suffering. As per Hindu mythology, when the Gods were churning the ocean for the elixir or Amrit, it was Dhanvantri who came out of the ocean holding the pot of elixir.
Beginning from 28th October 2016, the Indian Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy announced Dhanteras to be celebrated as “National Ayurveda Day”.
Celebrations on Dhanteras
Some rural areas in India have the tradition of worshipping cow and calf. Hindus consider Cows sacred and treat them with utmost respect equivalent to that of a mother. They are highly revered for providing necessary supplements like milk, curd, ghee and other milk products.
On the day, the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity, Goddess Lakshmi is also worshipped for her blessings of prosperity. Mantras worshipping goddess Lakshmi are chanted and earthen lamps are placed at the house’s entrance to welcome the Goddess.
In the central state of Maharashtra, there is a custom to pound dry coriander seed with jaggery and offer the mixture to the Goddess.
People also release light lamps into the sky which is symbolic of warding off evil spirit and bad omen.
In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, ladies prepare a special medicine called Marindhu and consume it before sunrise on the day of Dhanvantri Trayodashi. The tradition of making Marindhu is passed on from generation to generation.
By purchasing gold and other valuables on every Dhanteras over and over again people reaffirm their faith in the centuries old customs and beliefs. Dhanteras marks the beginning of Deepawali festival and bring with it the happiness and joy for the Hindus. The festival of Dhanteras is also celebrated in Nepal and other regions of the Indian sub continent, though with a different name.
Conclusion
The festival signifies the deep rooted Hindu belief that Ayurveda is an ancient and effective treatment method and a gift of God to humanity. It also signifies that light could be a weapon to fight evil and to scare away the demons.
Related Information: