Hindu festival Bhai Dooj defines the eternal bond of love between a brother and sister. Every year it’s celebrated on the next day of Goverdhan Pooja. If we understand the literal meaning of Bhai Dooj then it’s ‘Bhai’ which means brother and Dooj meaning moon. On this day, sisters pray for the well-being, prosperity and longevity of their beloved brothers.
How Bhai Dooj is celebrated?
According to the customs, Bhai Dooj is celebrated with a decorated thali containing sweets, Diya, coconut and roli. The sisters put a tilak i.e. Chandan tika on the brother’s forehead and do an arti of him. After it, they sweeten the mouth of their brothers with sweets and in return brothers lavished them with gifts.
Story of Bhai Dooj
There are various Hindu mythological stories related to the origin of Bhai Dooj. Here, we have mentioned the two popular stories. Let’s know these.
- Lord Krishna-There is one legendary story in which it was said that Lord Krishna after defeating the evil demon Narakasura visited her sister Subhadra’ home. Here, he had a very welcome with sweets and flowers. She also applied ceremonial tilak on his forehead. From here, it was believed that the Bhai Dooj festival originated.
- Yamraj, God Of Death- Another legend takes us to the God of death named Yamraj who once a time visited his beloved sister Yamuna on Dwitheya (second day after new moon). When he arrived at her place, she applied a tilak on his forehead, garlanded him and fed him a special and delicious dishes. After a long time, they dined together and also exchanged gifts. Yamraj, after the occasion, announced that whoever on this particular day received a tilak by his sister will be blessed with longevity and prosperity. Since then the day has been given a name Bhai Dooj and celebrated across the country.
