Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area

Dhanteras

Why it matters

Dhanatrayodaśī opens the Dīpāvali sequence and is the day most tied to health and household prosperity. It is kept as the jayantī of Dhanvantari, physician of the gods and patron of Āyurveda; India marked National Ayurveda Day on it from 2016 until a fixed date of 23 September was adopted in 2025.

Where it falls

The first of the five Dīpāvali days; falls on Āśvina kṛṣṇa trayodaśī in the amānta reckoning (Kārttika kṛṣṇa trayodaśī in the pūrṇimānta calendar) and is followed by Naraka Caturdaśī.

The story behind it

Two narratives are usually told. In one, Dhanvantari rises from the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthana) carrying the vessel of amṛta. In the other, a young prince fated to die of snakebite is kept awake by his wife amid lamps and heaped ornaments; Yama, arriving as a serpent, is held by the glitter and her stories until dawn and leaves.

Prayers and worship

In North and West India the evening pūjā centres on Lakṣmī, usually with Gaṇeśa, and in many homes Kubera; Dhanvantari is also honoured. Many households set out a lamp for Yama (Yama-dīpa) on this evening, while other families keep that custom on the following night.

How families keep it

No widely documented fast attaches to this day. Household custom centres on cleaning and decorating the home, drawing rangoli at the threshold, and buying something new in metal, such as a kitchen vessel or a small gold or silver item, which families regard as an auspicious start to the season.

What is typically offered

Lamps are the characteristic offering: families light diyas at doorways and around the house, many lighting thirteen for the thirteenth lunar day, together with the lamp dedicated to Yama.

Visiting a temple that day

Because multiple Deepavali observances may fall on adjacent days, check the temple schedule for the specific pooja being performed. Temple practices vary by region and sampradaya. Dress modestly, remove footwear where required, follow priest/volunteer directions, ask before photography, and check the temple’s event page for exact pooja, fasting and prasādam arrangements.

The 2026–27 dates were compiled from a Northern-California Panchāṅgam reference for the Fremont / Bay Area location. The 2028 date is computed by this site’s own engine from the festival’s standard definition, tested against the 2026–27 dates: Āśvina kṛṣṇa trayodaśī (amānta; Kārttika kṛṣṇa trayodaśī in the pūrṇimānta reckoning — the same day), judged at the tithi at sunrise (udaya-vyāpinī). No 2028 date has been checked against a printed almanac or reviewed by Sri Kumar Gurukkal. They can differ from a calendar computed for another city or another sampradāya. Please confirm any date on which you plan a ceremony with Sri Kumar Gurukkal. How these dates are calculated →