Festival is observed on the second day after Diwali…
Lord Krishna, visited his sister Subhadra after killing the demon Narakasura on the day which is now celebrated as Diwali.
She welcomed him by applying a tilak on his forehead. Since then, this day has been celebrated as Bhai Dooj.
Another story states that on this day the lord of death, Yamaraja visited his sister, Yami who welcomed him with flowers, and sweets and applied tilak on his forehead.
In return, the lord of death presented her with a gift that reflected his affection for her.
Bhai Dooj is derived from the two words Bhai and Dooj.
‘Bhai’ means brother and ‘Dooj’ is the second day after the new moon.
Bhai Dooj is called Yama Dwitiya in the southern part of India. This name has been derived from the legend of Yama, who is the God of death, and his sister Yami or Yamuna.
According to this folklore, Yama met his sister on Dwitheya, which is the second day after the new moon.
This particular incident started to be celebrated as “Yamadvitiya” or “Yamadwitheya” throughout the country. From that day onwards, some people in the country celebrate Bhai Dooj as Yama Dwitiya.
Some many rituals and traditions revolve around the festival of Bhai Dooj.
Devotees take a bath early in the morning and worship Yama, Lord Ganesha, Chitragupta, Yamuna, and the many messengers of Yama. Numerous mantras are chanted along with worshipping the idols.
Giving dry coconut to brothers is considered a symbol of auspiciousness during Bhai Dooj.
It is believed that when Lord Krishna visited his sister Subhadra after prevailing over demon King Narakasura, she embraced him with a warm welcome, flowers, and sweets.
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