Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj is a Hindu festival celebrating the unconditional love bond between a brother and a sister. Bhai Dooj defines the eternal love between siblings, dedicated to strengthening the bond between them. On this auspicious day, sisters pray to God for the longevity, well-being and prosperity of their beloved brother. With a decorated thali containing sweets, roli and coconut, the sister ceremonize the occasion by putting a tilak or a vermillion mark on the forehead of their brothers followed by an aarti of him. Then they sweeten their mouths with sweets and in return sisters are lavished with gifts from their brother. The festival is celebrated on the very last day of the five days long Diwali. According to the Gregorian calendar, the festival occurs on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the Hindu month of Kartik which generally falls between October and November.
History, story and significance behind Bhai Dooj
The festival of Bhai Dooj has a literal meaning attached to it. 'Bhai’ means brother and 'Dooj’ means the second day after the new moon which is a day of celebration. In Hinduism, the day holds special significance into the lives of a brother and a sister. This auspicious occasion not only commemorates the strong bonding between two opposite-sex siblings but is also said to protect them from the evil forces and bring new hopes and prosperity in their lives.
Bhai Dooj is celebrated in different parts of the country with different rituals and has various folklores associated with it. The festival is known as Bhai Phota in West Bengal, Bhau Beej in Maharashtra and Yama Dwitiya in southern India and is celebrated with sisters applying tilak on the brother's forehead along with a special mantra that they chant while at it. While in Haryana, along with the ritual of the tilak, dry coconut is tied with kalawa thread along its width and offered at the time of aarti.
There are few Hindu mythological based stories related to the origin of this auspicious day. According to one legend, it is said that after defeating the evil demon Narakasura, Lord Krishna visited his sister Subhadra. His sister gave him a warm welcome with sweets and flowers. She then applied the ceremonial tilak on Krishna’s forehead. It is believed that this is the origin of the festival of “Bhai Dooj".
Another legend revolves around the story of Yama, the God of death. It is believed that Yama visited his beloved sister, Yamuna on Dwitheya, the second day after the new moon and she welcomed him with a tilak ceremony, garlanded him and fed him special dishes. They dined together after a long time and exchanged gifts. Yama, after the occasion, announced that whoever receives tilak from his sister on this particular day will enjoy a long life and prosperity. Since then this day to be celebrated as Bhai Dooj across the country.
Source : Times of India
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