Dhanteras is the first day in the five day Diwali Festival. Meaning of Dhanteras is that, Dhan means wealth and teras means 13th. 13th because it falls on the 13th day after the full moon. As per the legends, this day is dedicated to goddess Lakshmi and Dhanvantri. Dhanvantri is the physician of god and had said to be came out from the great ‘samundar manthan’, when demons and gods were churning it for nector. And from the very early days, it has been associated with the wealth.
So, on the eve of Dhanteras, goddess Lakshmi is worshipped. All sorts of preparations for the same are done one day before and markets are flooded with all sorts of items needed for the prayers. In the morning people wake up early and take bath. After that, they performed the Aarti of goddess Lakshmi. In the afternoon, people are indulged in the shopping of metals like gold, silver etc. It is considered auspicious to buy them today. But people can buy any sort material which is related to metal. That is why utensils shops are found to be crowded on this day. But the nowadays the shopping is not only limited to the gold and silver. People buy all sorts of new things on this occasion like cars, electronics etc.
In the evening preparations for the major Lakshmi puja is done. The temple in the house is cleaned and decorated properly. And the idol of the maa Lakshmi is also decorated. Now some silver or gold coins are kept in front of her. Some people keep currency notes also. Then in a big plate, five ghee Diyas are kept and one big Diya is placed at the centre. Now the Diyas are lightened and prayers are recited by the family member. If any new items is brought from the market, then tikka of the same is carried out with great respect and dedication as this signify Maa Lakshmi come to the home.
Then the five ghee Diyas are kept in the prime location of house like front gate, kitchen etc. And then candles are lightened and placed all around the house. In the evening people also sing the spiritual songs. So this is how the Dhanteras Puja is done.