When is Dhanteras?
Dhanteras 2026 is on Friday, November 6, 2026.
Dates follow the Hindu calendar for New Delhi, India. In North America some festivals are kept one day earlier because of the time difference; check with your temple.
The first day of the Diwali festival. Many families clean their homes and buy something new in metal, such as gold, silver or a kitchen pot.
How the date is set: Two days before Diwali (13th day of the dark half of Kartika).
The date in other years
A short history
Dhanteras (Hindi: धनतेरस), also known as Dhanatrayodashi (Sanskrit: धनत्रयोदशी), is the first day that marks the festival of Diwali or Tihar in most of India and Nepal. It is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day (Trayodashi) of Krishna Paksha (dark-fortnight) in the Hindu calendar month of Ashwin (according to the amānta tradition) or Kartika (according to the Bikram Sambat tradition). Dhanvantari, who is also worshipped on the occasion of Dhanteras, is considered the god of Ayurveda, who imparted the wisdom of Ayurveda for the betterment of mankind and to help rid it of the suffering of disease. The Indian Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy announced its decision to observe Dhanteras as the "National Ayurveda Day", which was first observed on 28 October 2016.
From Wikipedia’s article Dhanteras, by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related days
Sources
- Drik Panchang festival calendar (New Delhi) Dates
- Wikipedia: Dhanteras Short history (CC BY-SA 4.0)