Festival · 2026
Bhai Dooj 2026 — Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Bhai Dooj closes the Diwali season on the second day of the bright half of Kartika, when sisters mark a tilak on their brothers’ foreheads and share a meal.
In 2026
Wednesday, 11 November 2026
- Tithi
- Shukla Dwitiya (Shukla): 10 Nov, 2:00 PM – 11 Nov, 3:53 PM
- Lunar month
- Kartika
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:40 AM / 5:29 PM
| Puja muhurat | 1:09 PM – 3:19 PM |
|---|---|
| Aparahna | 1:09 PM – 3:19 PM |
Rule: Kartika Shukla Dwitiya prevailing at aparahna; if on both days, the day it covers more.
In 2027
Sunday, 31 October 2027
- Tithi
- Shukla Dwitiya (Shukla): 30 Oct, 5:52 PM – 31 Oct, 5:13 PM
- Lunar month
- Kartika
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:32 AM / 5:37 PM
| Puja muhurat | 1:11 PM – 3:24 PM |
|---|---|
| Aparahna | 1:11 PM – 3:24 PM |
Rule: Kartika Shukla Dwitiya prevailing at aparahna; if on both days, the day it covers more.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Bhai Dooj?
Bhai Dooj falls on Dwitiya, the second day of the waxing moon of Kartika, usually two days after Diwali, and closes the five days of the festival. Sisters invite their brothers home, apply a tilak of roli and rice on the forehead, perform aarti and serve a meal they have cooked. Brothers bring gifts and, as on Raksha Bandhan, a promise of care and support.
The day is also called Yama Dwitiya. Tradition holds that Yamuna had long invited her brother Yama, the lord of death, to visit her, and on this day he finally came. She welcomed him with a tilak and a feast, and in his happiness Yama declared that any brother who receives tilak from his sister on this day would be blessed with long life. Another story tells of Krishna visiting his sister Subhadra after defeating Narakasura.
Where Raksha Bandhan centres on the thread, Bhai Dooj centres on the visit and the meal: brothers travel to their sisters’ homes, especially to married sisters, and the family eats together. For many it is the most intimate day of the Diwali season, a quiet ending after the bustle of lamps, cleaning and shopping.
How it is observed
- Brothers visit their sisters, often married sisters in their own homes.
- The sister prepares a thali with roli, rice, a diya, sweets and dry coconut.
- She applies the tilak, performs aarti and offers sweets, and in some regions ties a kalava thread on the wrist.
- A festive meal cooked by the sister is shared, and the brother gives a gift.
- At Mathura, brothers and sisters bathe together in the Yamuna on this day.
- Where a brother cannot come, many sisters perform the puja in his name and send sweets.
How the date is fixed
Bhai Dooj is Kartika Shukla Dwitiya. Tradition prefers the tilak at aparahna, the fourth of five equal parts of the daytime, so our engine keeps the festival on the day Dwitiya prevails at aparahna. If Dwitiya covers aparahna on both days, the day on which it covers more of aparahna is taken. The aparahna window of that day is the tilak muhurat.
Where practice differs
In Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka it is Bhau Beej. In Bengal it is Bhai Phonta, when sisters fast until they place a mark of sandal paste on the brother’s forehead. In Nepal, Bhai Tika during Tihar uses a tika of seven colours and a garland of makhamali flowers. The day falls in Kartika in both the amanta and purnimanta reckonings.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
What is the story behind Bhai Dooj?
Tradition holds that Yama visited his sister Yamuna on this day, was welcomed with a tilak and a feast, and blessed with long life every brother who receives tilak from his sister on this day.
What is the right time for the Bhai Dooj tilak?
Tradition prefers aparahna, the fourth of five parts of the daytime. The window for this year is shown above.
Are Bhai Dooj, Bhau Beej and Bhai Phonta the same?
Yes, they are regional names for the same day: Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, Bhai Phonta in Bengal, and Bhai Tika in Nepal.