DHANTERAS (the First day) - Dhantrayodashi - The first festival to mark Diwali.Diwali has always been a festival with more social than religious connotations. It is a personal, people-oriented festival when enmities are forgotten and families and friends meet. In modern metros like Mumbai and Pune, innumerable communities with their diverse cultures and customs mingle together to make Diwali a memorable occasion for all.However, there are many customs and traditions associated with the festival. For example, gambling is one of the large-scale customs associated with this festival, especially in north India. It is believed that goddess Parvati played dice with her husband, Lord Shiva on this day. She decreed that whoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the year.

The day before the Diwali marks the first day of celebration and is called Dhan Teras or Dhantrayodashi, which falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin. The word "Dhan" means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has a great importance for the rich mercantile community of Western India. Houses and Business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colourful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights. Believing this day to be auspicious, women purchase some gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils.

In villages cattle are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. Cows are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped on this day.A very interesting story about this day is of the sixteen-year-old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was doomed to die by snakebite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's chamber and lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. She went on telling stories and singing songs. When Yama, the god of Death arrived there in the guise of a Serpent his eyes got blinded by that dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away. Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of death. Since then this day of Dhan teras came to be known as the day of "Yamadeepdaan" and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential adoration to Yama, the god of Death.

Day of Narakasur Vadh (Killing of the Demon-King)

The story goes that after defeating Lord Indra, the demon King Narakasur grabbed the magnificent earrings of Aditi, the mother goddess and imprisoned 16,000 daughters of the Gods and saints in his harem.According to the legends, Narakasur, the son of Bhudevi, acquired immense power as a blessing from Lord Brahma after a severe penance. Thus Narakasur could not be easily killed as he had a boon that he could face death only at the hands of his mother Bhudevi. So, Krishna asks his wife Satyabhama, the reincarnation of Bhudevi, to be his charioteer in the battle with Naraka. When Krishna feigns unconciousness after being hit by an arrow of Naraka, Satyabhama takes the bow and aims the arrow at Naraka and kills him instantly.

Lord Krishna along with Satyabhama killed the demon and released the damsels the day before Narakachaturdashi. He also succeeded in recovering the stolen earrings. Jubilant in victory, Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with the demon king's blood. When he returned home early on Narakachaturdashi, the womenfolk massaged scented oil into his body and gave him a good bath to wash away accumulated filth. And hence the traditional practice of taking a bath before sunrise with oil and 'ubtan' (paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders. In South India too, this story finds its way into local rituals. People wake up before sunrise and prepare 'blood' by mixing kumkum in oil. After breaking a bitter fruit representing the head of the demon king, they apply that mixture on their foreheads. They then have an oil bath using sandalwood paste.

In northern India, especially in Punjab, Diwali is dedicated to the worship of Lord Rama.
In Bengal, Kali/Durga, the goddess of strength, is worshipped. This reverence is called 'Kali Chaudas' or 'Kal Chaturdasi'. It is believed that on this day Kali killed the wicked Raktavija.

Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, is also worshipped in most Hindu homes on this day.

Interestingly, Kerala is probably the only Indian state where even Hindus do not celebrate Diwali. The major festival there is Onam.




Lakshmi Pooja-

Lakshmi Pooja is the third day of Diwali celebrations. It is an important festival related to Diwali, which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of "Chopada-Pooja". On this day, Sun enters his second course and passes Libra, which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day falls on an amavasya day, it is regarded as the most auspicious.

The day of Lakshmi-Pooja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the temples as men and women invoke Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous holy "pouring-in" of their hearts. It is believed that golden-footed Deepa-Lakshmi descends down to earth from heaven piercing the darkness with a blaze of light.

Tiny lamps of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits and Self-enlightenment is expressed. These twinkling lamps illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the lowly abodes of the poor. It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks through the green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and showers her blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. When the Sun sets in the evening and ceremonial worship is finished, all the homemade sweets are offered to the goddess as "NAIVEDYA" and distributed as "PRASAD". Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged on this day. Gayly dressed men, women and children go to temples and fairs, visit friends and relatives. Everything is gay, gold and glitter!

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