Dhanteras 1963
Dhanvantari and Lakshmi worship — the buying day that opens Diwali.
Festival days follow the classical attribution rules — udaya (sunrise), pradosha (evening), nishita (midnight), madhyahna or aparahna vyapini as each festival prescribes — computed for Kashi/Varanasi (IST). Regional observance can differ by a day in some years.
Read the Dhanteras puja vidhi, vrat rules and kathaDhanteras — Frequently Asked Questions
What should be bought on Dhanteras?
Metal — silver, steel or brass — and traditionally an empty vessel, which is filled before it is carried into the house. Gold and utensils are the common choices; the vessel is the older custom.
Why is a lamp placed facing south on Dhanteras?
It is the Yama deepam, offered after dusk to Yama for the safety of the household. It is set outside the house, facing south, and is not brought back in.
Who is worshipped first on Dhanteras?
Dhanvantari, the physician who rose from the churned ocean with the pot of amrita. Lakshmi and Kubera are invoked after him — health precedes wealth on this day.
Other major festivals in 1963
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 1963
- Vasant Panchami — 30 January 1963
- Maha Shivaratri — 22 February 1963
- Holika Dahan — 9 March 1963
- Holi — 11 March 1963
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 26 March 1963
- Ram Navami — 2 April 1963
- Akshaya Tritiya — 26 April 1963
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 23 June 1963
- Guru Purnima — 6 July 1963
- Nag Panchami — 25 July 1963
- Raksha Bandhan — 5 August 1963
- Hartalika Teej — 22 August 1963
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 23 August 1963
- Anant Chaturdashi — 2 September 1963
- Pitru Paksha begins — 4 September 1963
- Sharad Navratri begins — 18 September 1963
- Durga Ashtami — 26 September 1963
- Maha Navami — 27 September 1963
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 28 September 1963
- Hindu Festivals 1963 →