Bhai Dooj occurs at the end of the five days of the festivities of Diwali. Each year, this festival is celebrated on the second day of Sukla Paksha, in the month of Kartik, as per the lunar calendar. This year, the festival will fall on 26th October, according to the Gregorian calendar.
Bhai Dooj 2023 Date & Tilak Muhurat
Bhai Dooj Muhurat
Bhai Dooj Muhurat
Bhai Dooj - Thursday, March 9, 2023
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 07:42 PM on Mar 08, 2023
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 08:54 PM on Mar 09, 2023
Bhai Dooj - Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 02:55 PM on Mar 26, 2024
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 05:06 PM on Mar 27, 2024
Bhai Dooj - Sunday, March 16, 2025
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 02:33 PM on Mar 15, 2025
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 04:58 PM on Mar 16, 2025
Bhai Dooj - Thursday, March 5, 2026
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 04:48 PM on Mar 04, 2026
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 05:03 PM on Mar 05, 2026
Bhai Dooj - Wednesday, March 24, 2027
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 02:28 PM on Mar 23, 2027
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 01:13 PM on Mar 24, 2027
Bhai Dooj - Sunday, March 12, 2028
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 02:55 AM on Mar 12, 2028
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 11:33 PM on Mar 12, 2028
Bhai Dooj - Friday, March 2, 2029
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 07:00 PM on Mar 01, 2029
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 03:18 PM on Mar 02, 2029
Bhai Dooj - Thursday, March 21, 2030
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 08:29 PM on Mar 20, 2030
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 05:22 PM on Mar 21, 2030
Bhai Dooj - Tuesday, March 11, 2031
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 09:34 AM on Mar 10, 2031
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 08:46 AM on Mar 11, 2031
Bhai Dooj - Monday, March 29, 2032
Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 07:16 AM on Mar 28, 2032
Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 07:53 AM on Mar 29, 2032
All About the Bhai Dooj Festival
The festival is also referred to as Bhatra Dwitiya, Bhai Dwitiya, Bhathru Dwithiya, and Bhau Teej. This auspicious day commemorates the bond between a sister and her brother as sisters pray for the long and healthy life of their brothers. The day’s festivities start with a tika ceremony and sisters demanding gifts from their brothers as he vows to protect her throughout his life.
Bhai Dooj Festival Puja Vidhi
The puja vidhi of this day is quite simple and is similar to that of Raksha Bandhan, as both these occasions celebrate the bond between siblings. Let us look at the steps for performing the puja on this auspicious day-
Wake up early in the morning and take a bath.
Adorn new clothes on this occasion.
During the auspicious muhurat of this day, offer prayers to the Gods.
Sisters must perform the tilak ceremony by putting roli and akshat on their brother’s forehead.
Light a Diya in the South direction of the house.
Tie a kalava on your brother’s wrist of the right hand and pour some water on your brother’s hand while chanting the mantras of this day.
In some parts of the country, kaddu or pumpkin flowers, along with betel nuts and betel leaves, are placed in the brother’s palm by his sister.
Sisters put some coins in the brother’s hand after the tilak ceremony.
Offer your brother some delicious sweets prepared on the occasion of this festival.
Brothers must treat their sisters with gifts on this day.
Perform the aarti of your brother and seek the promise of protection from him.
Some women even make garlands out of cotton and roli to offer to the Gods, seeking their protection for herself and her family.
Astrological Significance of Bhai Dooj
Astrologically, this day falls on the same day as Chitragupta Jayanti. These two festivals are celebrated on the second day of the Shukla Paksha or the brighter half of the month, during the Kartik maas. It is believed that worshipping Lord Chitragupta on this day is said to get the devotees the gift of his blessings as he keeps an account of everyone’s actions and decides which souls get absolution or Nirvana from the cycle of life and death.
Significance of Bhai Dooj Festival
This propitious day holds a lot of significance among the members of the Hindu community. Popularly known as Yama Dwitiya, this day occurs on the Dwitiya Tithi in the month of Kartik. This festival falls after Diwali and is the last in the five-day-long festivities of the biggest festival of the Hindus. As per the scriptures, on this day, sisters worship deities and put tilak on the forehead of their brothers to bestow them with health, happiness, and long life. Consequently, this day honors the bond of kinship between a sister and her brother. Sisters feed scrumptious desserts to their brothers on this occasion and even observe a fast. Those who partake in the rituals are believed to be blessed and deemed as Saubhagyavati, while the brothers are showered with the gift of a long life. The day is also relevant as Yamraj, the God of death, is worshipped on this day alongside Yama Doots and Chitragupta due to the legends surrounding this day and its significance.
Rituals Associated with Bhai Dooj Festival
This day is celebrated with a lot of excitement, and it elicits a similar zeal as the festival of Raksha Bandhan. The rituals are pretty similar for both these propitious days but there is a slight difference as well. Let us look at the rituals associated with this day-
Unlike Raksha Bandhan, there is no tradition of tying a rakhi on the wrist of the brother. However, the brother does take a vow to protect his sister, much like in the festival of Rakhi.
In Nepal, seven colors are used during the Tilak ceremony.
In West Bengal, sandalwood paste, as well as kajal, is used to put a tilak on the brother’s forehead.
In Haryana and Maharashtra, those sisters who do not have a brother worship the moon on this auspicious day.
Kheerni poori or Busundi poori is particularly made in Maharashtra on this occasion and is a much-loved delicacy of the region.
Khaja, a snack that is made with wheat flour and sugar, is extremely famous in West Bengal during this festival.
Regional Names Associated with Bhai Dooj
This festival is popular in the entire country, but the names differ across different regions. The spirit celebrating the bond of brothers and sisters, however, remains the same everywhere. Here are the different names of this festival-
Bhai Dooj- Northern parts of India
Bhau Teej- Maharashtra
Bhai Bij- Gujrat
Bhatru Dwitiya- Odisha and Southern parts of India
Bhav Bij- Goa and Konkan regions
Bhai Phota- Assam and West Bengal
Bhai Tikka- Nepal
Legend Associated with Bhai Dooj
As per the religious scriptures, there are two Puranic characters that are prominently connected to the story of this festival. These characters are named Yama and Yamuna. Yama or Yamraj is the God of death. Drowning under the pressures of the everyday tasks that sought his immediate attention, Yama failed to visit his sister for an extended period of time.
Wanting to meet his sister, Yama visited Yamuna unannounced on the Dwitiya Tithi. Overjoyed at her brother’s presence, Yamuna welcomed him by putting a tilak on his forehead and a garland around his neck. Yama, on the other hand, granted a boon to his beloved sister on this auspicious day. She requested her brother to spare the lives of brothers on this occasion, and since then, this day has been celebrated as Yama Dwitiya. Furthermore, it is believed that taking a dip in the holy waters of Yamuna on this day will shower the devotees with the blessings of Yama.
On this day, brothers promise to protect their sisters for the rest of their lives while sisters wholeheartedly pray for the longevity of their brother’s life. Regardless of the traditions and rituals, this day is all about the love and affection that siblings share, and that is what makes this day so special for everyone.
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Bhai Dooj Muhurat
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