Bokaro: The festival of Bhai Dooj, symbolizing the sacred bond of love and protection between brothers and sisters, was celebrated across Bokaro on Thursday with deep devotion and festive enthusiasm.
Observed on the second day of the bright fortnight of Kartik month, Bhai Dooj holds a special emotional and cultural significance. In the Mithila region, the festival is known as Bhatri Dwitiya or Bhardutiya, and is marked by traditional rituals and heartfelt prayers for the well-being and prosperity of brothers.
Sisters performed the customary puja rituals, drawing intricate alpana patterns and seating their brothers on a decorated pedestal. They then applied vermilion (sindoor) and pithar (rice paste) to their brothers’ hands, offering betel leaves, areca nuts, pumpkin flowers, coins, and sprouted grains as symbols of blessings — a ritual known locally as “note lena.”
During the ceremony, sisters recited the traditional Mithila mantra:
“Yamuna notal yamaken hum notai chhi bhai ke,”
invoking the divine bond of Yamuna and Yamraj, the mythological siblings associated with the festival’s origin.
Brothers, in turn, expressed their love and gratitude by giving gifts and sharing sweets with their sisters, making the celebration a beautiful expression of affection, faith, and family togetherness.
