Bhai Dooj, one of the final celebrations of Diwali, is observed on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. Also known as Bhaiya Dooj, Yama Dwitiya and Bhau Beej, the festival celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.

The festival is observed on the second day, or Dwitiya, of the Shukla Paksha in the Hindu month of Kartika. It comes at the close of the five-day Diwali festivities, after Dhanteras, Choti Diwali, Diwali and Govardhan Puja.

The tilak ritual

On Bhai Dooj, sisters apply a ceremonial tilak on their brothers' foreheads, perform an aarti and pray for their long life, happiness and prosperity. Brothers, in return, traditionally give gifts to their sisters and promise to protect them.

According to Drik Panchang, the auspicious Aparahna period for the Bhai Dooj tilak in Mumbai is 1:30 pm to 3:46 pm on 11 November, a window of 2 hours 16 minutes. The Dwitiya Tithi began at 2 pm on 10 November and ends at 3:53 pm on 11 November.

Families observe the festival at home, with sisters preparing a thali for the aarti and brothers sitting for the tilak. The ritual is simple, but it carries the weight of a bond that the festival exists to celebrate.

The story of Yama and Yamuna

The significance of Bhai Dooj is traditionally associated with the story of Yama, the Hindu god of death, and his sister Yamuna. According to the legend, Yamuna invited her brother Yama to her home, applied a tilak on his forehead and prayed for his long life, and Yama in turn blessed her.

The story gives the festival its other name, Yama Dwitiya, and explains why the tilak sits at the centre of the celebration. The sister's prayer for her brother's long life is the heart of the observance, and the festival is seen as a day when siblings reaffirm their bond.

In different parts of the country, the festival is known by different names, including Bhaiya Dooj in the north and Bhau Beej in Maharashtra. The rituals vary slightly by region, but the core of the festival, the tilak, the aarti and the prayer for the brother's well-being, stays the same.

A quiet close to Diwali

Bhai Dooj brings the Diwali season to a close on a personal note, after days of lights, fireworks and public celebration. Where Diwali itself is a festival of the whole household and neighbourhood, Bhai Dooj is a festival of the sibling bond, observed within the family.

For many families, the day is also a reunion, with brothers travelling to their sisters' homes for the tilak. As the last festival of the Diwali season, it ends the celebrations with a simple ritual of care between brother and sister.