Dhanteras is the first day of the biggest festival in India known as Diwali. Diwali is the five-day festival that kickstarts tomorrow with Dhanteras. Dhanteras, a merger of Sanskrit words dhan, which stands for wealth, and teras that refers to the 13th day of the Hindu calendar, is marked by praying to goddess Lakshmi and the purchase of objects made of metal. Depending on their budget, those who celebrate Diwali use the occasion to buy jewelry, coins of gold or silver or household items made of iron, copper or brass. Some even go ahead and buy simple utensils, but the main emphasis is placed on buying something made of metal.
The logic behind buying that something made of metal is the fact that it is considered the harbinger of good luck and is supposed to keep negative energy at bay. This belief is said to have been originated from a legend according to which the God of Death, Yama, was enticed by the sight of gold.
King Hima's 16-year-old son's death had been predicted on the fourth day of his marriage, through a snake bite. However, as the new bride got to know about it, she placed a heap of her ornaments at the entrance of the room and kept her husband awake throughout the night by singing and narrating stories. When Lord Yama visited King Hima's son in the guise of a snake, in order to bite him, he was blinded on seeing the impressive metal, and instead sat on the pile listening to the new daughter-in-law's tales.
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