Bhaiya Duj

Annual festival falling on the second
day (duj) of the bright, or waxing, half
of the lunar month of Kartik
(October–November). This festival is celebrated to emphasize the bond between
a brother (bhaiya) and sister. During
Bhaiya Duj, married women invite their
brothers into their homes, apply tika
marks on their brothers’ foreheads as a
sign of respect, and feed them sweets
and a hearty meal. Sisters also tie a string
around their brothers’ right wrists to
symbolize the emotional bond between
them and the brother’s obligation to protect his sister throughout her lifetime.
Unmarried women host their brothers in
the same way in their natal homes. In
either case, on this day women should
pray that their brothers have long lives
and that they themselves be happily
married. The brothers, in turn, give presents to their sisters.
Aside from reaffirming the normal
family love between brother and sister,
this festival also emphasizes the protective role that brothers play in their sisters’ lives, particularly after women are
married. The traditional pattern in
northern India is for married women to
live with their husbands’ families. Since
women generally outlive their fathers,
for most of her life a woman’s primary
protectors will be her brothers. A woman
without brothers is in a position of
relative weakness. If nothing else, these
yearly visits give brothers the chance to
assess their sister’s happiness and the
state of affairs in her married home.
Such visits also notify the husband’s
family that they are still concerned with
her welfare.