Quick facts
- Date
- Wednesday, 11 November 2026
- Hindu date
- Shukla paksha Dwitiya
Kartik - Tithi begins / ends
- 2:00 PM, 10 Nov → 3:53 PM
- Aparahna Kaal
- 1:10 PM – 3:20 PM
- Sunrise · Sunset (New Delhi)
- 6:40 AM · 5:30 PM
- Vikram Samvat
- 2083 (Gujarati: 2083)
Dates
| Year | Date | Hindu date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wednesday, 11 November 2026 | Shukla paksha Dwitiya | Open in calendar |
| 2027 | Sunday, 31 October 2027 | Shukla paksha Dwitiya | Open in calendar |
| 2028 | Thursday, 19 October 2028 | Shukla paksha Dwitiya | Open in calendar |
Dates are for New Delhi. Dates that have already passed are not listed. Later years are added once they have been checked.
About Bhai Dooj
Bhai Dooj falls on Shukla Dwitiya of Kartik and closes the five days of Diwali. Sisters put a tilak on their brothers’ foreheads, perform aarti and pray for their long life; brothers bless their sisters and give them a gift.
It is also called Yama Dwitiya, after the story of Yama visiting his sister Yamuna on this day. It is Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, Bhai Phonta in Bengal and Bhai Tika in Nepal.
How the date is decided
Bhai Dooj is kept on the day on which Kartik Shukla Dwitiya is running in the afternoon (Aparahna Kaal), the time traditionally preferred for the tilak. If Dwitiya covers the afternoon on two days, this calendar takes the day on which it is also present at sunrise.
How it is observed
- Sisters prepare a thali and put a tilak on their brothers in the afternoon.
- Brothers eat a meal at their sister’s home and give a gift.
- In Mathura, brothers and sisters bathe together in the Yamuna.
Puja vidhi: how to do the puja
- Prepare a thali with roli or kumkum, akshat, a ghee diya, sweets, a dry coconut (gola) and a little kalava.
- Seat the brother on a clean aasan, facing north or east, and cover his head with a cloth if it is the family custom.
- Apply the tilak of roli and akshat, tie the kalava if your family does, and offer him the coconut and sweets.
- Perform aarti with the diya and pray for his long life and well-being.
- The brother touches his sister’s feet or blesses her, gives a gift, and eats a meal she has cooked.
Puja samagri checklist
Tick things off as you gather them; your list is kept on this device.
Katha: Yama visits Yamuna
Yamuna had invited her brother Yama many times to come and eat at her home, but the lord of death was always busy. At last, on Shukla Dwitiya of Kartik, he arrived. Yamuna was overjoyed. She bathed him, put a tilak on his forehead and served him a meal with her own hands.
Pleased, Yama asked her to choose a boon. Yamuna asked that every brother who visits his sister on this day and receives her tilak should be free from the fear of an untimely death. Yama granted it, and so the day is called Yama Dwitiya.
Bhai Dooj 2026 in other cities
| City | Date | Compared with New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Wednesday, 11 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| London | Tuesday, 10 November 2026 | 1 day earlier |
| New York | Tuesday, 10 November 2026 | 1 day earlier |
| Toronto | Tuesday, 10 November 2026 | 1 day earlier |
| Sydney | Wednesday, 11 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Dubai | Wednesday, 11 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Singapore | Wednesday, 11 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Johannesburg | Tuesday, 10 November 2026 | 1 day earlier |
Frequently asked questions
When is Bhai Dooj in 2026?
Bhai Dooj 2026 falls on Wednesday, 11 November 2026 (New Delhi). The tithi runs from 2:00 PM, 10 Nov to 3:53 PM.
When is Bhai Dooj in 2027?
Bhai Dooj 2027 falls on Sunday, 31 October 2027 (New Delhi).
When is Bhai Dooj in 2028?
Bhai Dooj 2028 falls on Thursday, 19 October 2028 (New Delhi).
What is the difference between Bhai Dooj and Raksha Bandhan?
On Raksha Bandhan (Shravana Purnima) a sister ties a rakhi and the brother promises to protect her. On Bhai Dooj, two days after Diwali, the sister puts a tilak and prays for her brother’s long life, and he eats at her home.
What is the best time for the Bhai Dooj tilak?
Tradition prefers the afternoon, Aparahna Kaal. The window for New Delhi is in the quick facts above; for another city, open the calendar and change the city.
Why does the date of Bhai Dooj change every year?
Bhai Dooj follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It is tied to Shukla paksha Dwitiya of the month of Kartik, not to a fixed Gregorian date. A lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year, so the date moves earlier by roughly that much each year, until a leap month (Adhik Maas) is added and it jumps back.
Is Bhai Dooj on the same day everywhere?
Not always. In London, New York, Toronto, Johannesburg the date differs from New Delhi, because tithis are read at local sunrise or sunset and these places are many hours away from India. Use the city table above, or the calendar with your own location.