Diwali is the festival, which means celebration one after another, each day with a new philosophy. Many interesting rituals and traditions have attached themselves to Diwali and one can find a little regional variation in them in different parts of India.
The first day of the festival of diwali begins with Dhan-teras. The day is marked by certain customs and rituals that are peculiar to the festivities of Dhanteras. White holds a great importance in these rituals. On the Dhanteras day the prasadam offered to the deities is in white color, the Dhanteras gifts in shiny white color are preferred and even the prayers are offered to the white idol of the deity. If we probe into the significance of the color, white in Hinduism, the image of Goddess Saraswati strikes in our mind. She is depicted as wearing a white sari, which further signifies the enlightenment of mind. Being a benefactor of knowledge and education, her white attire encourages us to adopt the traits of cleanliness, purity and peace. Enrich your celebrations of Dhanteras with the goodness of white!)
