When is Bhai Dooj? Check date, muhurat timings, significance & more

Bhai Dooj, the final day of the 5-day Diwali festivities, celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.

On this day, also known as Yama Dwitiya, sisters pray for their brothers’ well-being and brothers give gifts to their sisters, marking the festival’s loving conclusion.

Bhai Dooj 2025: Date and Muhurat Timings

Bhai Dooj falls on the Dwitiya (2nd) Tithi of the Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the Hindu month of Kartik. For 2025, the tithi begins on 22 October at 8:16 PM and ends on 23 October at 10:46 PM.

The most auspicious window for the tilak ceremony, when sisters apply tilak to their brothers, is during the Aparahna (afternoon) period, which falls between 1:13 PM and 3:28 PM on 23 October.

Bhai Dooj 2025: Significance

Bhai Dooj celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters: the sister’s care for the brother and the brother’s promise of protection.

The tilak ritual symbolises the sister’s prayers for her brother’s long life, and his blessings/gifts in return.

Bhai Dooj 2025: Folklore and Legends

Yama (God of Death) & Yamuna (his sister)

Yamuna welcomed Yama, applied a tilak, did aarti, and served him sweets. Moved by her devotion, Yama granted that any brother who receives his sister’s tilak on this day will not be afraid of death and will enjoy a long life.

Hence, the day is also called Yama Dwitiya.

Krishna & Subhadra

After Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakasura, his sister Subhadra welcomed him with a tilak and sweets; this event is linked to the origin of the tilak ritual in Bhai Dooj.

Bhai Dooj 2025: Step-by-step guide of rituals

• The sister prepares a special puja thali which contains a diya (lamp), roli/tilak powder, akshat (rice grains), sweets, and coconut.
• The brother is seated (often facing east or north). Sister applies a tilak on his forehead, performs aarti, prays for his long life and prosperity.
• The brother gives a gift (such as money, clothes, or sweets) to his sister, and in many traditions, the sister serves him a meal and treats him to sweets.
• In some regions, special dishes are prepared, and the day may include visiting one another’s homes and attending family gatherings.

• If brothers live far, some sisters perform the ritual symbolically or via phone/video, sometimes worshipping the moon as a stand-in.