Bhai Dooj 2024: How to Perform the Bhaiya Dooj Rituals

Bhai Dooj 2024

Bhai Dooj, also known as Bhau Beej, Bhatra Dwitiya, Bhai Dwitiya, and Bhathru Dwithiya, is a traditional festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. Following closely after Diwali, this day is dedicated to the sister-brother relationship, highlighting love, protection, and well-wishes. In 2024, Bhai Dooj will be celebrated on November 3, and sisters across India will perform rituals to pray for their brothers’ happiness, health, and long lives.

Bhai Dooj 2024: Significance

Bhai Dooj holds immense cultural importance in India. The festival celebrates the lifelong bond between siblings, where sisters pray for their brothers' well-being, while brothers vow to protect their sisters. The rituals on this day serve as a reminder of familial ties, unity, and mutual respect.

How to Perform the Bhaiya Dooj Rituals?

On Bhaiya Dooj, sisters perform the Tika (also called Tilak) ceremony, a significant ritual that symbolises their prayers for their brothers' prosperity and safety. Here’s a step-by-step guide to performing the Bhai Dooj rituals:

• Preparation: Begin by gathering the items needed for the ritual. These include a plate with kumkum (vermilion), rice, a small diya (oil lamp), sweets, and flowers. These are traditional elements used to bless and pray for a brother’s well-being.
• Lighting the Diya: The sister lights an oil lamp on the plate. The diya symbolises divine protection and positivity, illuminating the path of blessings for the brother.
• Applying Tika: The sister applies a sacred red vermilion mark, or Tika, on her brother’s forehead. This is a central part of the Bhaiya Dooj ritual, symbolising protection from negative energies and wishing him success and good health.
• Offering Sweets and Performing Aarti: After the Tika, the sister performs an Aarti (a small ritual where the diya is circled around the brother’s face) to invoke blessings. She then offers sweets to her brother as a symbol of happiness and a prosperous life ahead.
• Exchanging Gifts: Traditionally, after the Tika ceremony, the brother gives a token of appreciation or a gift to his sister. This exchange of gifts symbolises their mutual love, care, and gratitude.
• Sharing a Meal Together: Many families mark the end of the ritual by sharing a special meal. This is an opportunity for siblings to bond, reflect on memories, and enjoy each other’s company.

Bhai Dooj is a heartwarming celebration of sibling love, reflecting India’s rich cultural heritage. Through simple yet meaningful rituals, the festival honours the special connection between brothers and sisters. This Bhai Dooj, sisters will perform the Tika ceremony with heartfelt prayers, and brothers will reciprocate with gifts and promises of protection, strengthening a bond that lasts a lifetime.