Spirituality

Families buy brooms alongside gold for Dhanteras.

Families buy new brooms alongside gold for Dhanteras, The Times of India reports, following a custom that associates the household tool with welcoming the goddess Lakshmi. The festival falls on November 6 in 2026 and begins the five-day Diwali celebrations, according to The Economic Times.

The broom, known as a jhadu, is treated with respect in the tradition. The Times of India reports that households customarily worship a new broom before using it, while the act of sweeping is associated with clearing away misfortune.

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The broom represents Lakshmi#

Lakshmi is revered in Hinduism as a goddess of fortune, wealth and prosperity, among other qualities. The Times of India describes the broom as a symbol of her presence because it helps keep a home clean, a condition associated in the tradition with welcoming her.

The newspaper also describes a belief involving Lakshmi's elder sister Alakshmi, also called Jyeshtha, who is associated with misfortune. In that account, dirt and constant fighting are linked with Alakshmi, while sweeping represents sending her away.

Respect for the broom extends beyond the purchase. The Times of India reports that some families avoid touching it with a foot or stepping over it. If someone kicks it accidentally, the person may touch the broom and then their forehead as a gesture of respect.

Dhanteras purchases include coins and utensils#

Gold and silver are also popular Dhanteras purchases, according to The Economic Times. Families may choose jewellery, ornaments or coins as symbols of prosperity. Some keep coins bearing images of Lakshmi or Ganesha in rooms set aside for worship during Diwali.

The Economic Times links the custom of buying utensils to traditional accounts of Dhanvantari carrying a pot of amrita, the nectar of immortality. Before taking new utensils home, some families put rice, wheat, sweets or water inside them as a symbol of abundance and nourishment.

For the evening observance in New Delhi, Drik Panchang lists the Dhanteras puja muhurat, a time for worship, from 6:02 PM to 7:57 PM on November 6, according to Ashutosh Preparatory School. The school says families prepare their worship areas with flowers and sweets for Lakshmi-Kuber Puja.

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