"May god give you a lot of success, health & wealth dear brother. Best wishes to you on the pious occasion of Bhai Dooj"
It is an important Hindu festival in which sisters show their love for their brothers. Bhai Dooj will take place on March 9, 2023, after Holi. There are two festivals called Bhai Dooj, one after Holi, and the other after Diwali. Dooj indicates that the festival falls on the second day following a full moon, while Bhai means brother.
Bhai Dooj is celebrated by married as well as unmarried women. The most important thing about it is the application tilak (Vermilion Dot) by the sister on the forehead of the brother, followed by an arati.
There are coconuts, Batashas, mithai (sweets), fruits, seven paans, Roli, and rice in the puja thali.
A sister lights the puja lamp, performs a small puja, then applies tika to her brother's forehead and gives him sweets, other eatables, and a coconut. Sisters are sometimes given presents by their brothers.
Holi Bhai Dooj is a lesser-known festival devoted to brothers and sisters. This year, it will be celebrated on 9t March. The day and date remain the same, regardless of whether you are following the Purnimant or Amavasyant calendar - the festivities taking place during Dwitiya Tithi of Krishna Paksha in Chaitra month for Purnimant, or Dwitiya Tithi of Phalguna for Amavasyant.
One of the most popular legends about Bhai Dooj is that it is associated with Lord Yama (God of Death) and his sister, Yamuna. And this tale, narrated on Bhai Dooj, celebrates the bonds between them. According to this story, Surya Dev (the Sun God) had two children from Sangya (also known as Saranyu or Saranya) Yama and Yamuna.
Despite being married to the Sun God, Saranya would not endure the heat produced by him. Thus, with her divine powers, she created Chhaya, a woman whose appearance was the same as hers. Eventually, Saranya asked Chhaya to take care of her children. She left her marital home permanently thereafter.
Due to Chhaya's lack of maternal love, Yama and Yamuna took good care of each other. Over time, the two siblings grew up together.
Whenever Yamuna visited her brother's house, she would invite him home, but Yama would always give lame excuses, citing his busy schedule. He decided to surprise her one day. When he arrived at Yamuna's house, she greeted him by putting tilak on his forehead and showering him with Akshat, preparing a variety of food recipes, and taking good care of him as well.
A few minutes before Yama's sister left, she asked her brother to dedicate the day of his visit to siblings, when he urged her to ask for a boon. Since then, the brothers would visit their sister's home, get blessed with the tilak, enjoy a feast, spend considerable time with them, and return with her unconditional love and best wishes.
We celebrate many festivals throughout the year in different styles. Every festival is unique, read about the most popular festivals of India like International Yoga Festival 2023 Rishikesh, Dates, Venue & Taj Mahotsav Festival Agra 2023, Website, Ticket booking.