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Bhai Dooj
Sisters mark their brothers' foreheads with tilak and pray for them, and wear new clothes for the visit.
What is worn for Bhai Dooj
Bhai Dooj is kept on the second day after the Diwali new moon and is the last day of the festival. A sister applies a tilak of vermilion or sandal paste to her brother's forehead, offers sweets and prays for his long life, and he gives her a gift in return. It is called Bhau Beej in Maharashtra and Bhai Tika in Nepal. Sisters usually dress in a new or festive saree or suit for the occasion, and married women often travel to their parental home or ask the brother to come to theirs. There is no fixed colour or weave for the day.
The sarees
Written by the EveryPallu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Bhai Dooj" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sari: Suyash.dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source