Bhai Dooj- a festival of love and care.

Sep 29
13:19

2015

Huma Talwar

Huma Talwar

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In India people honor the special relationship between brothers and sisters at the festivals of Bhai Dooj and Rakshabandhan. Both the festival are meant to intensify the bonds between siblings and like Rakshabandhan, Bhai Dooj is popularly celebrated all over the country with lots of joy and enthusiasm. On the occasion of the festival, sisters offer prayers for the long-life and prosperity of their brothers and also present them with gifts.

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We as human beings live and grow up with our families. Family ties and relations are an important part of our lives. We are indeed blessed with many familial relationships which are integral to our growth and survival. And amongst them,Bhai Dooj- a festival of love and care. Articles the relationship between brothers and sisters is considered to be one of the most important ones. This special bond between the siblings is revered in almost every culture of the world, and in India people honor it at the festivals of Bhai Dooj and Rakshabandhan. Both the festivals are dedicated to brothers and sisters and they are meant to further intensify the bonds between them. The one major difference between them is that on Bhai Dooj, it is the sisters who present gifts to their brothers. But like Rakshabandhan, Bhai Dooj is popularly celebrated all over the country with lots of joy and enthusiasm. It is known by many different names in different parts of the country-Bhaiya Duj in Northern India, Bhai Phota in Bengal and Bhau Beej in Maharashtra among others.

Bhai Dooj is celebrated on the second day of the new moon in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik. It falls on the fifth day of Diwali, the main festival of the country. Bhai Dooj celebrations are marked by many traditional rites and customs which have been passed down through the generations. On the day of the festival, sisters perform a Puja ceremony and seek the blessings of the gods for their brothers well being and prosperity. The ritual marks the love, care and devotion of the sisters and brothers. The sisters then apply their brothers’ foreheads with an auspicious tilak or a vermilion mark which is meant to protect them from harm and bring good fortune. Another significant part of the festival traditions is the Bhai Dooj gifts for brother which the sisters present on the occasion. The Bhai Dooj gifts are tokens of the love and affection and symbolic of the bond between the sisters and their brothers.  Bhai Dooj is celebrated by married women too and it provides an excellent opportunity for the brothers to visit their sisters’ place. Family reunions, feasting and the exchange of sweets and gifts are other significant part of the celebrations.

The traditions of Bhai Dooj have been maintained through the generations but with the onset of time it has undergone some slight changes. Nowadays, the brothers too present Bhai Dooj gifts for sister, and siblings who stay far from each other send Bhai Dooj gifts online or through postal and courier services.