Bhai Dooj celebrates the sacred bond between brothers and sisters through prayers, aarti, and tilak rituals.
The festival’s roots lie in the legends of Yama–Yamuna and Krishna–Subhadra, symbolizing love and protection.
In the modern world, Bhai Dooj continues to uphold family values and strengthen emotional connections.
When we talk about the bond shared between a brother and a sister, we all relate it to Raksha Bandhan, but there is another festival that celebrates the pure bond of brother and sister. It is known as “Bhai Dooj” or “Bhaiya Dooj.” The term Bhai Dooj comes from two Hindi words — “Bhai” meaning brother and “Dooj” meaning “Dwitiya” or the second lunar day. It is celebrated on the second day of the new moon of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Kartika, which usually falls two days after Diwali. This day marks a sister’s prayers for the well-being and long life of her brothers, dedicated to the sibling bond.
The day signifies affection, protection, and mutual respect between families, with its essence lying in honoring the sacred bond between brothers and sisters. Sisters perform aarti, apply tilak (a sacred mark made of vermilion and sandalwood) on their brother’s forehead, while praying for a prosperous life ahead for their brothers. It symbolizes an emotional bond smeared with protection and care. It helps in strengthening the relationship between siblings while beautifully blending affection with moral duty.
Bhai Dooj has its own cultural and spiritual meaning, associating itself with two of the most interesting stories behind its celebration. The most ancient of these tales is that of the God of Death, Yama, and his sister Yamuna (Yami). It is said that Yama visited his sister after a long period of separation and was welcomed with great warmth. His sister performed aarti and applied tilak on his forehead to welcome him and also had special dishes made for him. Yama was deeply moved by his sister’s love and granted a boon of long life to any brother who would visit his sister and receive a tilak as a blessing from her. The day is also called Yama Dwitiya for this very reason. It symbolizes how a sister’s prayer protects her brother from any harm and how a brother’s affection is shown by his visit to his sister.
The second story that the festival is tied to is that of Lord Krishna and his sister Subhadra. Krishna visited his sister after defeating the demon Narakasura. Subhadra was happy for his safe return and performed aarti and applied tilak on Krishna’s forehead, welcoming him with flowers and sweets. Sisters now perform similar rituals for their brothers on Bhai Dooj, signifying protection and affection. The two stories have their own way of conveying things — one conveys protection from death while the other emphasizes the joy of reunion and familial love.
India, being a diverse country, has various ways of celebrating Bhai Dooj across different regions, but the core remains the same throughout. Brothers visit their sisters, and the sisters welcome them with love and traditional meals. They organize a space to perform the aarti with the puja thali containing a lamp, roli (vermilion), rice, sweets, and coconut. The brothers show their appreciation for their sisters’ love and care through gifts, promising them lifelong support.
There are different names for the festival. It is known as “Bhai Phonta” in West Bengal, “Bhau Beej” in Gujarat and Maharashtra, and “Bhai Tika” in Nepal, which they celebrate during the festival of Tihar, where the sisters apply a seven-colored tilak to their brothers’ foreheads. The emotions remain the same throughout, though each region adds its own cultural touch to it.
Bhai Dooj has stood its ground in this ever-changing modern world. The emotions still follow the same values, though now altered to suit urbanization, migration, and digital connectivity. The siblings that are separated by distance reconnect through this festival. Many go for virtual celebrations, and some even pray to the moon in the absence of their brothers symbolically. It keeps us connected to our values of affection and mutual respect, which act as the foundation of human relationships in an individualistic society, going beyond the traditional context. [RhOG/SY]
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