Maithil community observes Bhaiya Dooj to celebrate sibling bonds

Sisters in the Mithila region of Nepal performed traditional rituals for Bhaiya Dooj to pray for the long life and prosperity of their brothers.

This festival, which also goes by the names Bharadwitiya or Bhratri Dwitiya, marks the end of the annual Deepawali celebrations. This year, the Deepawali period lasted six days instead of the typical five due to the lunar calendar. Sisters invite their brothers to their homes for worship and blessings.

Married women host these events at their own residences, while unmarried siblings celebrate together in family homes. During the ceremony, sisters create a sacred geometric design called Aripan using a mixture of rice flour and water. They wash their brothers' feet with warm water, offer betel leaves and areca nuts, and apply a seven-colored tika to their foreheads.

The rituals include a practice called Bajri Khuwaune, where sisters give brothers dried peas to chew to symbolize a wish for strength like a thunderbolt. In return, brothers give their sisters gifts such as new clothes, jewelry, and cash. These traditions are rooted in a legend from the Satya Yuga, when the sisters of King Bali applied a tika to their brother to wish him courage and well-being.