What is Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj Festival and Why do we Celebrate it | Bhai Dooj Festival Significance, Customs and Traditions 2024

What is Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj Festival and Why do we Celebrate it

Bhaiya Dooj Festival is celebrated on two different occasions, viz one on the fifth day of Deepawali festival off on the second day after Holi. The famous Bhaiya Dooj is celebrated on the second lunar day of Shukla Paksha in the Hindu Colander month of Karthik.

This is also the second day after the main Deepawali. This festival is a celebration of the bond between brother and sister. Bhaiya Dooj Festival is celebrated across the whole country with different variants. This festival is similar to Raksha Bandhan.

These are the only two festivals dedicated to brother and sister bond. This festival is also known as Yam Dwitiya.

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Story Behind Celebrating Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj Festival

This day has an origin when Lord Krishna visited his sister Subhadra on the second day after Diwali. She greeted him with a lot of love and affection.

She put a celebration tilak on his forehead. Subhadra also prepared various dishes and sweets for her brother. They exchanged gifts. This is how the celebrations started.

Another version of Bhaiya Dooj festival ki kahani legends is about Yama, lord of death, and his sister Yamuna. Yama, lord of death, visited his sister Yamuna after a very long gap.

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She welcomed him with lots of love. She put celebration into tilak and prepared his favorite sweets and dishes. They had food together and had a good time.

So, Yama decided whoever gets celebration tilak from his sister on this day shall have a long life.

Bhaiya Dooj festival ki kahani, oral history says about another story about Bhai dooj. In a village, an old woman lived with his son. Her daughter was married long before. But it had been ages that the boy had not seen his sister.

So, he tells his mother that I will go and visit my sister. But the mother says she does not like us anymore, and she is busier in her life. He still insists, and his mother permits him to go to his sister.

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He starts his journey. On the way he meets a river, then a snake, and then a lion. Boy tells each one that kills me on my way back. The boy reaches her house.

He stays there for some days. Later on, when he is about to leave, she prepares wheat laddus. But the next day she understands that a snake is grinded in the wheat while making flour for laddus.

So, she runs behind her brother to stop him from eating laddus.

She shares the whole story with him. She says I am thirsty; I will get some water from the lake. An old lady calling herself fate tells her that her brother is bound to die if she does not go with her and abuse him till his marriage.

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She says I will come with you to drop you off but wait here for some time. He also tells her the incidents happened to him while coming to her place. She brings me for the lion, milk for the snake, and odhani for the river.

On the way back, she gives each one their share. They reach home and then she starts abusing her brother. She keeps doing so. Her mother is angered by this behavior. Time passes by.

The brother has decided to get married. Every time the sister says something, but it is always to save her brother throughout the marriage. This is how the sister saves her brother from seven death wars.

The next day of marriage, she tells everyone about the truth. Mother and brother are very happy with this. After this incident, this day is celebrated as Bhai Dooj to save a brother from any of the death fate.      

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Pooja Ritual Customs and Traditions on Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj Festival

Bhaiya Dooj Festival has many forms and names across the country. Somewhere it is called Bhai Dooj, at some places while at some places it is called Bhai Tika and at some places, it is called Bhai Phonta or bhau Beej.

In the southern part of India, it is called Yama Dwitiya. However, the core celebration or Bhaiya Dooj Festival Pooja remains the same. Sisters follow a fast on this day. Brother visits his sister on that day.

She prepares dishes and sweets of his choice. She does aarti for him and puts celebration tilak made from sandals and vermillion. Both exchange gifts. A sister also puts a lamp on Lord Yam to keep away his eye on her brother.

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This oil lamp is placed at the main entrance door. Another important part of this ritual is to give coconut to brothers on this day so that they are blessed with long life. Then eat together and have a good time.

If a brother is not able to visit his sister on that day, then she would do the Pooja of the moon and send her blessings to her brother. For Bhaiya Dooj, sisters give their blessings or wishes and brothers protect their sisters from evil.  

It is said that if a sister does tilak at an auspicious time, then whatever desires or wishes the sister has shall be fulfilled.

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Common Beliefs with Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj Festival

It is believed that whoever celebrates this festival has the blessings of his sister in cosmic form. Brother also makes unsaid promises to protect his sister from any difficulties in life.

This is a festival between Brother & Sister, siblings. It is said that sisters pray for the longevity, well-being, and prosperity of brothers while brother follows their responsibility of caring for and loving their sisters. 

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It is said that those sisters who put tilak on their brother’s forehead get the blessing and wade off any ill fate due to Lord Yama. This also said that the brother should eat food prepared by his sister.

People also believe that a special power or goddess is enlightened in a sister on this day. She gives blessings to the brother and promises to keep her blessings with her.

It is also said that by this ritual brothers are blessed with special prosperity. 

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Special Food Items Prepared and Served on Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj Festival

There are no specific food items for this festival as others. At this festival, the food is prepared as per brother’s choice. All the food items are vegetarian.

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Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj Festival Significance, Customs and Traditions: FAQ

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Geeta Vashisht

I am a freelance reporter with Bharat Sanssar based in Delhi, covering Religion and Religious news articles. I write about religious occasions and religious events around the world.

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