Majority of Hindu festivals are based on seasons and are rooted in agriculture. Cattle are very important part of agrarian economy. On Dhanteras farmers worship their cattle. The horns of cattle and oxen are colored red and are fed with sweets and other delicacies. Prasad made from sesame seeds are distributed as sesame symbolizes productivity. Thus each ritual on Dhanteras extols the need for the coexistence of man and Nature.
Goddess Lakshmi puja is also an important ritual on Dhanteras. In Dhanteras, ‘Dhan’ means wealth. On Dhanteras, Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being.
Goddess Lakshmi is not all about gold, wealth or money making. There is also spiritual wealth, mental health, wealth of true knowledge, and health is also wealth….Only that monetary wealth which has a strong backing of spiritual wealth can be enjoyed, replenished and sustained.
A Parthasarathy explains Goddess Lakshmi and wealth like this…
Wealth in this context does not mean only money. It also includes the nobler values of life, the power of the mind and the intellect, moral and ethical qualities, etc, which constitute the spiritual wealth. These are the types of wealth to be acquired before one’s initiation into actual spiritual learning and knowledge.Related
How to Observe Dhanteras?