Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day-long festivities of Diwali. It is celebrated every year on the Trayodashi Tithi of Krishna Paksha of Kartik month. However, this year there is a lot of confusion around the dates to celebrate the day. While some suggest it on October 22, there are also opinions about October 23. Here's everything you need to know.

‘Dhan’ means wealth and ‘teras’ means the thirteenth day of the moon cycle. This year, Dhanteras will be celebrated on Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23. It is starting at 4:13 pm on Saturday and end at 4.45 pm on Sunday, 23 October.

According to Pandits, Dhanteras puja should be done on October 22 as the shubh muhurat (auspicious time) falls on this date. The shubh muharat begins in the evening at 7:01 pm till 8:17 pm.

Doing Dhanteras puja during the shubh muhurat, it is believed that Goddess Laxmi resides in our homes for the whole year and blesses us with abundance and prosperity.

You can do Dhanteras shopping on both the dates in the provided time but if you are planning to buy vehicles or any iron articles, then it is better to buy it on Sunday as buying iron items on Saturday is considered inauspicious.

According to mythology, King Hima’s 16-year-old son was to die on the fourth night of his marriage as a result of a snake bite. To save his life, his wife collected all her gold ornaments and gold coins in a heap. She then sang songs and narrated stories to her husband so he doesn’t fall asleep. When Yamaraj, the God of death, came in the form of a serpent to take the prince’s life, he was blinded by the shine of the gold and sat enchanted listening to the melodious music and stories.

Since then, in a tradition called Yamadeepdan, people light diyas on this day throughout the night to worship Yamaraj and ward off evil. It is also believed that on this day, the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, had emerged from the ocean during the churning of milk. Hence, Lakshmi and Kubera, the Gods of wealth are worshipped on this day.

On this day, it is considered auspicious to buy or gift gold or silver coins. Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi Silver idol, silver utensils, electronics, vehicles are also believed to be auspicious.