Dhanteras 2026 in Hicksville: Events, Puja & Where to Celebrate
TL;DR 🪔
- 🪔 Dhanteras 2026 opens the Diwali season — the most auspicious day for welcoming Lakshmi with new purchases and home puja
- 🛕 Hicksville has four active Indian and Sikh places of worship anchoring the festive season
- 🌸 Navratri 2026 begins October 11, launching the full festive run toward Dhanteras and Diwali
- 🙏 The Hindu panchang from late September onward is packed with Ekadashi, Pradosh Vrat, and Amavasya
- ✨ Hindu Afghan and Punjabi Sikh communities both have a presence in Hicksville, making this a genuinely diverse celebration hub
Hicksville, New York has long been home to a significant Indian community, and when the Hindu festive season turns toward Diwali, few neighborhoods on Long Island feel it more. Dhanteras—the opening day of the five-day Diwali sequence—is not just another festival date. It is the day Lakshmi is welcomed into the home through new purchases, diyas, and puja. And with four Indian places of worship serving this ZIP code, the community has no shortage of ways to observe the season together.
This guide walks through the panchang build-up from late September, the significance of Dhanteras 2026, and which local temples will be central to the celebration.
Building Up: The September Panchang 🙏
Before Dhanteras arrives, the Hindu lunar calendar gives Indian families in Hicksville several meaningful observances to work through.
Ekadashi on September 22 opens the run. This eleventh-day fast is one of the most consistent observances in Vaishnav households, kept twice a month. Grains are avoided, extra time is given to prayer, and for many families a mandir visit is part of the morning. Two days later, Pradosh Vrat on September 24 brings the Shiva observance community to their evening rituals. The pradosh kaal—the twilight hour—is when puja is performed, with bilva leaves, milk, and water offered to Lord Shiva. Temples like Sri Ram Temple INC and Asamai Hindu Temple in Hicksville typically see their busiest evenings of the fortnight on Pradosh nights.
Purnima lands on September 26. The full moon is universally auspicious in Hindu tradition, and for many families it is a near-automatic occasion for home puja and a mandir visit. Satya Narayan Puja is often performed on Purnima in community gatherings.
Rounding out September is Sankashti Chaturthi on September 29—a monthly Ganesha fast observed especially among Maharashtrian families, breaking after moonrise.
October: Navratri, Amavasya, and the Road to Diwali 🌸
October 6 brings another Ekadashi, followed by Pradosh Vrat on October 8. These monthly touchstones keep the spiritual rhythm going. Amavasya—the new moon—falls on October 10 and is observed quietly with ancestor remembrance and tarpan rites, with families avoiding celebrations on this day.
Then, on October 11, Navratri 2026 begins. Nine nights of Devi worship, garba dancing, and communal celebration mark the start of the festive season in earnest. For Indian families in Hicksville, Navratri is when the fall season truly begins to feel festive. The local temples and cultural spaces see noticeably increased activity throughout this period. Garba events on Long Island draw large crowds of Gujarati families but also Indian families of every regional background who love the music and energy of the nine nights.
Navratri leads directly into Dussehra on the tenth day, which is itself the informal countdown to the Diwali sequence.
Dhanteras 2026: The Heart of the Hicksville Festive Season 🪔
Dhanteras—also written Dhan Teras or Dhantrayodashi—falls on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of Kartik month. It opens the five-day Diwali sequence, arriving two days before Diwali night itself.
The word "Dhan" means wealth, and the religious significance of the day centers on both Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and Dhanvantari, the divine physician whose birth is celebrated on this day. Purchasing gold, silver, or new utensils on Dhanteras is considered highly auspicious—the belief holds that Lakshmi enters the home through anything new brought in on this day. Families light rows of diyas, perform Lakshmi puja in the evening, and leave the entrance lamp burning through the night. Brooms are also traditionally purchased on Dhanteras as a symbol of sweeping out poverty.
In Hicksville, the Indian community has several spaces to gather for Dhanteras observance. Sri Ram Temple INC, with its mailing address at PO Box 500 Hicksville NY 11802, is one of the local institutions that serves the broader Hindu community in the area. Asamai Hindu Temple at 80 E Barclay St is another community center for Hindu worship in Hicksville.
Notably, Afghan Hindu Association INC—also at 80 E Barclay St Hicksville NY—represents the Hindko and Pahari-speaking Hindu Afghan community, a group with a long history of Diwali and Dhanteras observance that closely parallels broader North Indian Hindu tradition. Their presence in Hicksville reflects how Indian diaspora in this community extends well beyond South Asia's modern borders.
Guru Nanak Darbar Of Long Island at 11 Broadway serves the Sikh community, which observes the Diwali season as Bandi Chhor Divas—marking the day Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji returned from Gwalior Fort, greeted by his followers with lamps. The convergence of Hindu Diwali and Sikh Bandi Chhor Divas on the same night gives Hicksville's festive season a genuinely multi-community character.
Insider Tip 💡
Dhanteras shopping in Indian-American communities centers on jewelry stores and Indian grocery stores—both tend to have lines and extended hours on Dhanteras afternoon and evening. If you want to time your puja correctly, the pradosh kaal (twilight window) is the most auspicious time for Lakshmi puja on Dhanteras night. Plan your shopping for the afternoon so your home puja can happen at dusk with a fresh, unlit set of diyas. For temple programs, contact Sri Ram Temple INC or Asamai Hindu Temple in advance to confirm their Dhanteras and Diwali puja schedules, as programs are typically announced closer to the date on temple notice boards and WhatsApp groups.
FAQ
What is the difference between Dhanteras and Diwali? Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day Diwali festival sequence, falling two days before Diwali night (Lakshmi Puja). The five days are Dhanteras, Choti Diwali (Kali Chaudas), Diwali, Govardhan Puja, and Bhai Dooj.
Why do people buy gold on Dhanteras? The tradition holds that buying gold, silver, or new utensils on Dhanteras invites Lakshmi into the home. Even small purchases—a coin, a silver lamp, a new kitchen item—are considered meaningful on this day.
What is Bandi Chhor Divas? Bandi Chhor Divas is the Sikh observance that coincides with Diwali night. It marks the day Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji was released from Gwalior Fort and returned to Amritsar, welcomed by his followers with lamps and celebration. Gurdwaras like Guru Nanak Darbar Of Long Island observe Bandi Chhor Divas with illuminations and kirtan programs.
What is the Afghan Hindu community in Hicksville? Afghan Hindus are Hindus who trace their origins to Afghanistan, primarily Hindko or Pahari speakers. Institutions like Afghan Hindu Association INC serve this community's religious and cultural needs. Their Diwali and Dhanteras traditions share deep roots with North Indian Hindu practice.
When exactly does Dhanteras 2026 fall? Dhanteras 2026 falls in the Kartik month of the Hindu calendar on Krishna Trayodashi—the 13th day of the dark fortnight—in late October 2026, two days before the main Diwali night.
The Bottom Line
Hicksville's Indian community is anchored by four places of worship—Sri Ram Temple INC, Asamai Hindu Temple, Afghan Hindu Association INC, and Guru Nanak Darbar Of Long Island—and together they give residents a full range of ways to observe the festive season. The path from Navratri 2026 on October 11 through Dhanteras runs through Ekadashi, Pradosh Vrat, and Amavasya first. Dhanteras itself is the moment the Diwali season becomes tangible: lamps lit, new things brought home, and Lakshmi welcomed at the threshold. For desi families in Hicksville, this is the most spirited time of year.