Women buying metal utensils on Dhanteras ahead of Diwali festival at Boring road on November 2, 2021 in Patna, India. (Photo by Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindus believe that buying materialistic things at Dhanteras—the day Goddess Lakshmi arrives, just before Diwali—can bring luck and prosperity. On this day the market can be seen packed with people: moneyed people buy gold, expensive clothes, cars, etc.; the middle class buy silver, utensils, electronic goods, clothes, etc.; but both classes buy brooms—which is considered to be a lucky object.
At every Dhanteras, my mother, who is a pious woman, eagerly rush to the market. Last year she bought a large cauldron (God knows what she will do with it!) But this year she was able to buy only a pair of brooms. She also advises my brother to buy something; and she will look at me and suggest buying a pen or a book.
In Assam, Dhanteras has never been a part of our culture. In the past it was popular among Hindi-speaking people in Guwahati. Nowadays almost everyone in every city and town celebrates it with great enthusiasm, thanks to social media and consumerism. However, it has not gained in popularity in villages. People there will have been trying to figure out why townies rush to markets at this day. It may also shock them to hear the jaw-dropping price of brooms: A single broom which is sold at Rs.50/ at usual day can be sold at Rs.150/ at Dhanteras.
My mother has started to celebrate Dhanteras since 2019. She always buys utensils or clothes to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. I often ask her why she don't buy gold, and she replies, "I don't have the wherewithal."
"And where the wherewithal will come from?" I ask myself; but before I say anything, she adds, "To make Goddess Lakshmi happy, you need to buy something new—anything—not necessarily gold."
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