Bhai Dooj 2027
भाई दूज
Bhai Dooj falls on Sunday, 31 October 2027 in New Delhi, on Shukla Dwitiya.
Bhai Dooj is the day sisters mark their brothers' foreheads, feed them and pray for their long lives, closing the Diwali days. Its names change by region, Bhai Tika in Nepal, Bhai Phota in Bengal and Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, and so do its details.
Why this date
CalculatedIt falls on Kartika Shukla Dwitiya, the second lunar day of the bright fortnight, in the Aparahna, the afternoon window. It normally comes two days after Diwali. Dooj is the Hindi name for the second lunar day, and it's also called Yama Dwitiya.
That’s 11 days earlier than 11 November 2026 last year.
- Dwitiya begins
- 30 Oct, 5:52 PM
- It ends
- 31 Oct, 5:14 PM
2027 date by city
| New Delhi | Sun, 31 Oct |
|---|---|
| Mumbai | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Kolkata | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Chennai | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Bengaluru | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Hyderabad | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Ahmedabad | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Pune | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Jaipur | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Lucknow | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Patna | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Varanasi | Sun, 31 Oct |
| London | Sat, 30 Oct |
| New York | Sat, 30 Oct |
| San Francisco | Sat, 30 Oct |
| Toronto | Sat, 30 Oct |
| Sydney | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Singapore | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Dubai | Sun, 31 Oct |
| Port Louis | Sun, 31 Oct |
Dates in bold differ from New Delhi’s. Calculated by rule; local practice can differ.
One festival, many stories
North IndiaYama visits Yamuna
Yamuna, in the most common telling, has been asking her brother Yama, god of death, to visit. When he finally comes, she marks his forehead and feeds him, and he grants that any brother honoured by his sister on this day needn't fear him. It's the origin most families give. Secondary sources attribute it to the Padma Purana, but we haven't been able to check the passage.
North IndiaSubhadra welcomes Krishna
Another popular telling has Krishna, after killing Narakasura, going to his sister Subhadra, who welcomes him with a tilak and sweets. We haven't found a text linking this to the date, though it nicely ties the day back to the south's Diwali story.
North IndiaA visit with a purpose
Lochtefeld offers a plain social reading. In the traditional north Indian pattern, a woman lives with her husband's family, and after her father's death her brother is her main protector. A yearly visit lets him see how she's being treated, and it shows her in-laws that her family's still paying attention. It's an interpretation, but it's a sharp one.
NepalBhai Tika
In Nepal, this is the final day of Tihar, and sisters mark their brothers' foreheads with a many-coloured tika and give them garlands. The ceremony's long and elaborate, and the family gathering is often the year's largest.
Common questions
What people do
- A sister marking her brother's forehead with a tika and doing aarti
- A shared meal cooked by the sister, at her home
- Brothers giving gifts or money in return
- Sisters fasting until the ceremony is over, in Bengal and elsewhere
What's the difference between Bhai Dooj and Raksha Bandhan?
Raksha Bandhan centres on a thread and the brother's promise to protect, and it comes on the full moon of Shravana. Bhai Dooj centres on a forehead mark and a meal at the sister's home, and it comes two days after Diwali. Both are about the same bond.
Why is Bhai Dooj also called Yama Dwitiya?
Because the story behind it is Yama's visit to his sister Yamuna, on the second lunar day. Bathing in the Yamuna on this day, especially at Mathura, is still a popular custom.
Does Bhai Dooj actually protect your brother from death?
There's no evidence that it does, and tradition presents this as a blessing, not a guarantee. What's easy to see is what it does for a family: it gets a brother and sister in the same room once a year.
Ask your elders
“Ask your mother or aunt what she cooked for her brother on Bhai Dooj, and whether he ever travelled a long way to eat it. If she was married far from home, ask what the visit meant to her.”
Sources
- James G. Lochtefeld, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Rosen, 2002), entry “Bhaiya Duj”
- Drik Panchang, Bhai Dooj page
- Padma Purana (attributed; passage not checked)