Diwali. It is a five-day festival that ends with Bhai Dooj, which is also called Bhatra Dwitiya (or Bhathru Dwitiya). Bhai Dooj celebrates the sweet bond between a brother and a sister. In Bengal, it is called bhai phonta. In Odia it is called Bhai Jiuntia, while Marathi/Gujarati call it Bhau Beej (or Bhav Bij) and in South, it is known as Yama Dwitiya.
On this particular day, sisters pray for their brothers’ long life by doing the tika ceremony. The brother, in return, promises to protect the sister.
Mythology
According to mythology, post killing demon Narakasura Lord Krishna had visited his sister Subhadra who had welcomed him with flowers and sweets. She had also applied tilak on his forehead.
Another story tells that the god of death Yamraj was called many times by his sister Yamuna to meet him, but he could not visit her. When one day he came to visit her, she was very happy and had fed him with a lot of love, affection, respect and had also applied tilak. As Yamraj was happy, he had asked his sister for a boon. She said that Yamraj should visit her house every year on the second day of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month. On the other side, whoever will go to his sister’s house on this particular day will eat food in her home and get the tilak done by his sister. He won’t be afraid of Yamraj and premature death. Yamraj had accepted the boon and since then, the festival had started.
Bhai Dooj 2022
This year Bhai Dooj happens to be on November 6, 2021 (Saturday) and the puja timings are as follows. Bhai Dooj Aparahna Time – 01:16 PM to 03:38 PM Dwitiya Tithi Begins – 11:14 PM on November 05, 2021 Dwitiya Tithi Ends – 07:44 PM on November 06, 2021. (Source: www.drikpanchang.com)
How to observe Bhai Dooj
To make the festival special for your brother, you can try making Aloo paneer kebab which is not just a perfect snack for a dinner party but tastes great with tea. Try also making Veg Jaipuri which is a curry made out of cashew nuts, spices and tastes yum with roti, naan, papad and a dollop of achar. For your sweet brother, you can also try making Rabri Malpua.
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