From the archive record
Bhai Dooj is a festival celebrated by Hindus on the last day of the five-day-long Diwali festival. This is the second day of the bright fortnight or Shukla Paksha of the Hindu month of Kartika. The celebrations of this day are similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Tika ceremony, and sisters give gifts to their brothers. On the day of the festival, sisters invite their brothers for a sumptuous meal often including their favorite dishes. The whole ceremony signifies the duty of a brother to protect his sister, as well as a sister's blessings for her brother. Carrying forward the ceremony in traditional style, sisters perform aarti for their brother and apply a red tika on the brother's forehead.