Threads of Love: how bhai dooj strengthens sacred bond among siblings across India

As the festival lights of Diwali fade, India embraces yet another celebration of love, protection, and family--Bhai Dooj--a festival that beautifully honours the eternal bond between brothers and sisters. Falling on the second day after Diwali, Bhai Dooj carries deep emotional and cultural significance, symbolising affection, trust and lifelong companionship between siblings.

In North India, Bhai Dooj is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Sisters invite their brothers’ home, apply a sacred tilak of vermilion and rice on their foreheads, offer aarti, and pray for their long life and happiness.

In return, brothers shower their sisters with heartfelt gifts and promises of protection. The festival is also known as Bhai Phonta in Bengal and Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, showcasing India’s regional diversity while maintaining the same spirit of sibling devotion. Families gather, exchange sweets like motichoor laddoos and barfis and share laughter that echoes the warmth of togetherness.

Moving towards the south, especially in the Telugu-speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the celebration takes on a simpler yet deeply emotional form. Known locally as ’Yama Dwitiya’, it marks the legendary meeting of Lord Yama and his sister Yamuna.

Sisters offer aarti, apply tilak and offer traditional dishes like poornalu and payasam. Brothers in turn offer gifts as a token of love and gratitude. Unlike the grandeur of northern customs, the southern observance focuses more on family bonding, prayers, and blessings, keeping the festival’s essence pure and heartfelt.

In a fast-paced modern world where relationships often fade under daily pressures, Bhai Dooj stands as a reminder of unconditional love and lifelong care. Whether celebrated with grandeur or simplicity, the festival reinforces the belief that no distance or difference can weaken the thread that ties siblings together, a bond woven not by ritual alone, but by affection and faith.