Bhai Dooj is a festival celebrated mainly in the northern part of India, including Jammu and Kashmir, after two days of Diwali. It falls on the second day of the Vikrami Samvat New Year and resembles mostly the festival of Raksha Bandhan. Brothers give gifts to their sisters on Bhai Dooj while the sisters treat their brothers with delicious meal. In the southern parts of the country the festival is observed as Yama Dwitiya.
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Bhai Dooj is a Hindu festival celebrated after two days of Deepawali in Vikram Samvat Kartik month. The festival commemorates the bond of love between brother and sister and is celebrated with rituals similar to that of Raksha Bandhan.
The festival of Bhai Dooj is celebrated differently in different parts of the country; though, the common ritual involves the veneration of brothers by their sisters. Girls prepare a veneration plate with kumkum, sweet and an earthen diya. They perform aarti of their brothers and offer them sumptuous meal in exchange of their protection. The festival signifies the love of sister for her brother and also the obligation of the brother to protect his sister.
On this day, sisters make their brother’s favourite dishes and invite them in their house for the meal. Brothers, who are far away and are not able to come, get the blessings of their sisters, send through Moon God. For this, the sister performs the aarti of the Moon and prays for her brother’s wellness and longevity.
In Nepal the festival is called Bhai Tika. Sisters invite brothers to their home for a meal. Before the meal, a ritual is performed where the sisters apply a tika of seven colours to the forehead of their brothers and pray for their longevity.
Introduction
The festival of Bhai Dooj is celebrated after two days of Deepawali in the Hindu calendar month of Karthik. It is celebrated mainly in the northern parts of India and in Nepal. The festival is very similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan celebrated in the Savan month.
Rituals and Significance of Bhai Dooj
Bhai Dooj celebrates the special brother sister bond and mutual responsibilities for each other, as per the Hindu culture. Sister performs ritualistic veneration of her brother in exchange of his protection and love. The rituals performed are similar to those performed on Raksha Bandhan. Girls prepare a veneration plate for performing aarti of their brothers and apply red tika on their forehead. The brothers on the other hand gift articles, jewelry or money to their sisters.
Married women invite their brother to their house for a sumptuous meal and veneration rituals. Brothers, who are able to accept the invite, go to their sister’s house with gifts and money. After the rituals are performed the brother hands over the gift he has brought to his sister and vows to protect her from any adversity.
Brothers who are not able to accept the invite due to distance or some other reasons, nevertheless, get the well wishes of their sisters through the Moon. Hindu mythology has personified Moon as Moon God or Chanda Mama, who acts as the messenger of sister to her brother in case the latter is unable to come.
Sisters sincerely perform the aarti of Moon God, similarly as they would have performed for their brothers. They pray for the longevity and good health of their brothers and symbolically ask the Moon God to convey the same to their brothers.
Conclusion
The festival of Bhai Dooj has many regional names in different parts of the sub continent – in the entire northern India it is called Bhai Dooj and Bhai Tika in Nepal. Whatever name is assigned to the festival, its significance remains same, that is, to celebrate the eternal bond between brothers and sisters.
Introduction
Bhai Dooj is a significant Hindu festival celebrated two days after the Festival of Diwali. It falls on the second lunar day of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Karthik. Bhai Dooj is called by several other names such as Bhaubeej, Bhai Tika and Bhai Phonta, depending on the region and culture.
Bhai Dooj Celebration
The celebrations of Bhai Dooj resemble closely the celebration of Raksha Bandhan. On this day sisters perform aarti of their borthers and the latter hand over gifts to their sisters at the same time vowing for their protection and care.
The festival mainly concerns married women unlike the Raksha Bandhan which is celebrated both by unmarried as well as married women. Traditionally, the married women invite their brothers to their houses and serve them sumptuous meal including their favourite dishes. The brothers also give gifts and money to their sisters.
Different Names of Bhai Dooj
The festival of Bhai Dooj is known by different names in different parts of Indian sub continent and is celebrated on different dates, as described below-
Celebrated in the complete northern belt of India around the festival of Diwali on the second day of Vikram Samvat New Year. The festival is celebrated by Awadhis in Uttar Pradesh, Maithils in Bihar.
The festival is celebrated in Nepal, and is one of the most important Nepalese festivals after Dussehra.
The festival is called Bhai Phonta in West Bengal and is celebrated on the second day of Kali Puja.
Bhai Dooj is celebrated as Bhau Beej in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Karnataka.
Despite the names mentioned above, the festival is also called “Yamadwitheya” signifying the meeting of Yama with his sister Yamuna on the second day after the new moon. The mythological story of Bhai Dooj is that, after slaying demon Narkasura, Lord Krishna went to his sister Subhadra, who welcomed her brother in the same way as the rituals followed today.
Rituals of Bhai Dooj
Performing traditional aarti of their brothers and applying tika on their forehead is a common ritual followed by the entire sister on Bhai Dooj. Those, whose brothers are unable to come due to some reason, pray with all their sincerity for their long life and venerate Moon God instead of their brothers. It is believed that Moon God acts as a messenger between brother and sister and conveys latter’s wishes and regards to the former.
Conclusion
The festival of Bhai Dooj celebrates the special bond between brothers and sisters and signifies that the same bond continues even after marriage and other worldly engagements. A sister’s love for her brother and a brother’s responsibility for her sister never changes.
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