Bhai Dooj 2025 Date And Time: Bhai Dooj, also known as Bratri Dwitiya, Bhaubeej and Bhai Phonta among others, will be celebrated on October 23, this year. The ancient Hindu festival celebrates the eternal bond between brothers and sisters. Similar in spirit to Raksha Bandhan, Bhai Dooj is about a brother’s promise to protect his sister, forever and her praying for his long life in return.
On this day, sisters give Tika or Tilak on their brother’s forehead and bless them with ceremonial items and gifts. Younger brothers touch the feet of their sisters and vice versa. The sisters also prepare delicious meals like Puri Sabji and sweets for their brothers.
Below, we share more details about the date, timings and Shubh Muhurat of this beautiful festival.
Bhai Dooj: Origins
Bhai Dooj marks the end of the five-day Diwali festival. As per the Hindu calendar, the ceremony is observed on Dwitiya Tithi, or the day after the new moon appears in the month of Kartika, during Shukla Paksha.
As per Puranic texts, Yamuna invited her brother Yama, to her dwelling on Dwitiya of Kartik month. Overjoyed at his arrival, she put a Tilak on his forehead and prepared a delicious feast for him, which pleased the God of Death immensely and he asked his sister to seek a boon from him.
Encouraged, Yamuna asked Yama to henceforth grant long life to all brothers who receive a tilak from their sisters on that day, each year. Yama happily agreed. He also pronounced that siblings who bathed in the waters of the Yamuna River on Bhai Dooj would not meet misfortune. This is why the festival is also called Yama Dwitiya.
Another legend involves Subhadra welcoming her brother, Lord Krishna, to her abode, after he defeats Narakasura. She too is said to have applied Tilak to his forehead and welcomed him with flowers and sweets.
Bhai Dooj 2025 Shubh Muhurat
As noted by Drik Panchang, for New Delhi, Yama Dwitiya Tithi begins on Thursday, October 22, at 08: 16 p.m. and concludes at 10: 46 p.m. on October 23.
The auspicious timings for the Tilak ceremony itself is during the Aparahna or afternoon period, for two hours and fifteen minutes. It begins at 01.13 p.m. and ends at 03.28 p.m., on that day. Timings will vary slightly based on the region, across India.