Diwali season is full of festivity. After celebrating Narak Chaturdashi/ Chhoti Diwali, Diwali and Govardhan Puja comes Bhai Dooj. Also known as Bhau-Beej, Bhai Tika or Bhai Phonta, the festival is celebrated with much fervour in parts of India and Nepal.
Bhai Dooj is a Hindu festival celebrated two days after Diwali. Similar to Raksha Bandhan, the festival of Bhai Dooj also celebrates the beautiful bond that the brothers and sisters share.
Bhai Dooj 2020: Date
Bhai Dooj is celebrated on Dwitiya or the second lunar day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Kartika in the Hindu calendar.
The festival will be celebrated on Monday, 16 November, this year.
Bhai Dooj 2020: Puja and Tika Time
- Bhai Dooj Aparahna Time-01:20 PM to 03:29 PM
- Dwitiya Tithi Begins-08:36 PM on 15 November
- Dwitiya Tithi Ends-5:36 PM on 16 November
There are different rituals for celebrating the festival of Bhai Dooj. However, the crux/essence remains the same. Sisters apply tika on their brothers’ foreheads, offer them sweets and perform aarti. They also pray to the Almighty for their brothers’ long, healthy and prosperous lives. The brothers in return give them gifts and vow to protect them from all things evil.
Various kinds of delicacies are prepared on this day and the entire families eat together and celebrate the sense of togetherness and festivity. In some families, sisters remain with empty stomachs until the rituals of Bhai Dooj are performed.
Why is Bhai Dooj Celebrated?
There are multiple mythological stories attached to the celebration of Bhai Dooj. However, two of them are most common. As per a legend, when Lord Krishna returned after killing a demon named Narakasura, his sister Subhadra welcomed him by applying tilak on his forehead and performing his arti. Krishna in return gave her his blessings. It is believed that Subhadra’s gesture started the celebration of Bhai Dooj by several Hindus.
There’s another mythological story about the god of death, Yamaraj, associated with the celebration of Bhai Dooj as well. It is believed that when he visited his sister Yami (Yamuna), she was so happy to see him that she welcomed him by performing his arti, offering him sweets and applying tilak on his forehead.