Bhai Dooj 2026 Is on Wednesday, 11 November: Tilak Muhurat in Delhi Is 1:10 pm to 3:20 pm
Dwitiya Tithi begins on Tuesday afternoon, but the tilak ceremony falls on Wednesday, according to Drik Panchang timings for New Delhi.
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Bhai Dooj, the festival that marks the bond between brothers and sisters and closes the Diwali season, will be observed on Wednesday, 11 November this year.
The festival falls on Kartik Shukla Dwitiya. According to Drik Panchang timings for New Delhi, cited by Vedantu, the Dwitiya Tithi begins at 2 pm on Tuesday, 10 November and ends at 3:53 pm on Wednesday, 11 November. Because the tilak ceremony is traditionally done in the afternoon (Aparahna) period while Dwitiya is present, the recommended tilak muhurat in Delhi is 1:10 pm to 3:20 pm on Wednesday, a window of 2 hours and 10 minutes. Timings vary from city to city.
On the day, sisters apply a tilak of roli or kumkum with unbroken rice on their brothers’ foreheads, perform aarti and offer sweets, while brothers give gifts and blessings. Many families end the day with a meal together.
The festival is linked to the story of Yamuna welcoming her brother Yamraj to her home with a tilak and a meal, which is why it is also called Yama Dwitiya. Another tradition tells of Subhadra receiving her brother Krishna after his victory over Narakasura.
It goes by different names across India: Bhai Phonta in West Bengal, Bhau Beej in Maharashtra and Goa, and Bhai Bij in Gujarat. Among Nepali-speaking communities the related Bhai Tika is listed on 10 November this year. Bhai Dooj is not a nationwide bank holiday, so closures depend on each state’s list.
Featured image: (1) Aarti Thali, Prayer Plate India.jpg by Pramal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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