Bhai Dooj Is Celebrated Differently Across India: From Bhau Beej To Bhai Phonta

Bhai Dooj comes two days after Diwali, and the festival season ends with it. This year, it falls on Wednesday, November 11. The day belongs to siblings. Sisters pray for their brothers' long life, and brothers promise to stand by them. The idea is the same everywhere, but the way people celebrate changes from one state to the next.

Why Is Bhai Dooj Celebrated?

The festival falls on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Kartik. According to a popular legend, Yamuna invited her brother Yama, the god of death, to her home on this day. She welcomed him with a tilak and a meal. Yama was so happy that he blessed her and said any brother who visits his sister on this day would be protected from fear. That is why the day is also called Yama Dwitiya.

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Bhai Dooj In North India

In Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, the festival is simply called Bhai Dooj. Sisters prepare a thali with roli, rice, a diya, sweets and a coconut. The brother sits facing her, and she applies a tilak on his forehead. She does an aarti, ties a sacred thread on his wrist in some homes, and feeds him sweets.

Brothers usually give money, clothes or gifts in return. Many families also make it a lunch plan, with everyone gathering at the sister's place or the parents' home.

Bhau Beej In Maharashtra And Goa

In Maharashtra and Goa, the day is known as Bhau Beej. The brother sits on a wooden seat called a patla, and the sister draws a small rangoli around him. She applies a tilak, does the aarti and sometimes offers a betel nut as a symbol of blessings.

Food is a big part of the day here. Sisters often cook the brother's favourite dishes, and a sweet like shrikhand or puran poli is common on the thali. In Gujarat, the festival is called Bhai Beej and follows a similar pattern.

Bhai Phonta In West Bengal

Bengal does it in its own style. Bhai Phonta is celebrated with a lot of emotion and a lot of food. Sisters traditionally keep a fast until they have applied the phonta, which is a dot of sandalwood paste on the brother's forehead. They also place dhaan and durba grass on his head as a blessing.

While applying the dot, the sister says a rhyme that roughly means she is putting a mark on her brother's forehead so that the door of Yama stays closed for him. After that comes the feast. Think luchi, mutton curry, fish and plenty of mishti, like sandesh and rasgulla. Many Bengali households also celebrate it the day after Kali Puja, and the date can vary.

Bhai Tika In Nepal, Sikkim And Darjeeling

In Nepal, Sikkim and the hills of Darjeeling, Bhai Dooj is called Bhai Tika and is the last day of Tihar, the five-day festival of lights. Sisters apply a tika of seven colours on their brother's forehead. They also put a garland of marigold or makhmali flowers around his neck.

The seven colours are said to protect the brother and wish him a long life. After the tika, brothers and sisters exchange gifts and share a big meal, often with sel roti and fruits.

A Unique Tradition In Bihar And Jharkhand

In parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, Bhai Dooj is called Bhaiya Dooj, and the custom has a twist. Sisters first scold or playfully curse their brothers. Then they pierce their own tongue with a small thorn from a plant, as a way of saying sorry. After that, the sister blesses her brother and feeds him sweets. The ritual is a reminder that a sister's words carry power, and so do her blessings.

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Different Names, Same Bond

Bhai Dooj has several other names across the country. It is Bhathru Dwitiya in some southern pockets, and Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj in most of the Hindi belt. The rituals change slightly, but the emotion stays the same.

These days, many siblings who live in different cities send gifts online or video call each other to complete the tilak ritual. Some sisters courier the tilak kit, and brothers send flowers and sweets back. The day is less about the distance and more about showing up in whatever way you can.

 (Image Credits: Pinterest)
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