Festival · Yama and Yamuna

Bhai Dooj

Sisters pray for their brothers’ long life. The story says Yama, god of death, visited his sister Yamuna on this day.

Bhai Dooj 2026
Wednesday 11 November 2026
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Wednesday 11 November 2026

Shukla Dwitiya tithi

Begins
2:01 pm, 10 Nov
Ends
3:54 pm
Sunrise
6:40 am
Sunset
5:30 pm
Moonrise
8:36 am
Moonset
6:38 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Wednesday 11 November 2026

Tilak time

1:10 pm to 3:20 pm

Dwitiya begins
2:01 pm, 10 Nov
Dwitiya ends
3:54 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Apply a tilak on your brother’s forehead
  • Share a meal together
  • Exchange gifts

What it remembers

Bhai Dooj, the second day of Kartika’s bright fortnight, closes the five days of Diwali. Sisters apply a tilak on their brothers’ foreheads, do their aarti and feed them, praying for their long life; brothers give gifts and promise care. The tilak is applied in the afternoon (Aparahna), when Yama is said to have visited his sister Yamuna.

Yama visits Yamuna

Yamuna, the river, had long asked her brother Yama, the god of death, to visit her. He came at last on this day; she welcomed him with a tilak, an aarti and a feast. Pleased, he granted that any brother who received a tilak from his sister on this day would not fear an untimely death. The day is also Yama Dwitiya.

Krishna and Subhadra

After killing Narakasura, Krishna went to his sister Subhadra. She welcomed him with a lamp, flowers and sweets and put a tilak on his forehead. The festival follows her welcome.

A bath in the Yamuna

Brothers and sisters who bathe together in the Yamuna at Mathura on this day are said to be free from fear of Yama. The Vishram Ghat of Mathura is crowded with them.

The tilak

The tilak is applied in Aparahna, the afternoon, while Dwitiya holds; the page shows that time. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. The sister prepares a thali: roli or kumkum, rice, a lamp, sweets and a coconut or dry fruit.
  2. The brother sits facing north or east, often on a low stool, with a cloth on his head.
  3. At the tilak time, she applies a tilak of roli and rice on his forehead, does his aarti, and ties a sacred thread in some families.
  4. She feeds him a sweet and then a meal she has cooked; in many homes he eats nothing before this.
  5. He gives her a gift and his blessing or promise of care, and touches her feet if she is older.
  6. Sisters without a brother apply the tilak on the moon or on a cousin; brothers without a sister visit a cousin or a sister in faith.

What you need

  • A thali with roli or kumkum, rice and a lamp
  • Sweets, a coconut or dry fruit
  • A meal cooked for the brother
  • A gift for the sister

Across India

North India

Bhai Dooj or Bhaiya Dooj: tilak, aarti and a meal, often with dried coconut (gola) given to the brother.

Maharashtra and Goa

Bhau Beej: the sister does the aarti, and the brother gives her a gift; the moon is worshipped by sisters without a brother.

Bengal

Bhai Phonta: the sister applies a phonta of sandalwood with her little finger, saying a rhyme that closes Yama’s door to her brother.

Nepal

Bhai Tika, the last day of Tihar: a seven-coloured tika, a garland of makhamali flowers, and the sister’s blessing.

Mathura

Brothers and sisters bathe together in the Yamuna at Vishram Ghat and visit the Yamuna-Dharmaraj temple.

When it falls

Shukla Dwitiya of Kartika. Kept on the day this tithi holds through the afternoon (aparahna).

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Bhai Dooj in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2026Wednesday 11 November 2026
  2. 2027Sunday 31 October 2027
  3. 2028Thursday 19 October 2028

Questions

When is Bhai Dooj in 2026?

Wednesday 11 November 2026, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Bhai Dooj fall?

Shukla Dwitiya of Kartika. Kept on the day this tithi holds through the afternoon (aparahna).

How is Bhai Dooj kept?

Families apply a tilak on your brother’s forehead, share a meal together and exchange gifts. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Bhai Dooj?

Yama and Yamuna. Sisters pray for their brothers’ long life. The story says Yama, god of death, visited his sister Yamuna on this day.

When should the tilak be applied?

In Aparahna, the afternoon (the fourth fifth of the day), while Dwitiya holds, the time Yama is said to have reached Yamuna’s home. The page shows it for your city.

How is Bhai Dooj different from Raksha Bandhan?

On Raksha Bandhan the sister ties a rakhi and the brother promises protection; on Bhai Dooj she applies a tilak and feeds him, praying for his long life, as Yamuna did for Yama.

Why is it called Yama Dwitiya?

Because Yama, the god of death, visited his sister Yamuna on Dwitiya, the second day of the bright fortnight, and blessed all brothers who are welcomed by their sisters on this day.