Dice game of Shiva and Parvati recalled on Pratipada; played by families for luck in the new year

Dyuta Krida, 'the game of dice', is a traditional custom of Kartika Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali. The Skanda Purana and the Padma Purana tell that on this day Goddess Parvati played dice with Lord Shiva and won everything he had, even his garments, and Shiva withdrew to the forest; Vishnu then intervened, entering the dice so that Shiva won back. Parvati declared that whoever plays dice on this day will be fortunate throughout the year. Families, and especially couples, therefore play dice, chaupar, cards or similar games for small stakes after Diwali; winning is taken as a sign of good luck for the year and losing as a warning to be careful. In Maharashtra this is often a light-hearted game between husband and wife. The custom is ritual and symbolic: scriptures that recommend it also warn against gambling as a vice, and the Mahabharata's dice game is the great example of its dangers. Playing is meant to be for fun, for small stakes, and within the family.

No fast.