Nepal Celebrates Bhai Tika, Marking the Final Day of the Five-Day Tihar Festival

Bhai Tika, observed on the second day of the waxing moon in the lunar month of Kartik, marks the culmination of Tihar, Nepal’s second-largest Hindu festival after Dashain.

The festival celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters, with sisters traditionally applying five-coloured or seven-coloured tika on their brothers’ foreheads and offering flower garlands, including marigold, globe amaranth and chrysanthemum.

The ritual is accompanied by prayers for the brothers’ longevity, good health and prosperity. Brothers, in turn, offer gifts, money and blessings to their sisters.

According to the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Development Committee, the auspicious time for those observing the ceremonial timing this year is 11:07 AM. However, the committee says the ritual can be performed throughout the day.

The traditional ritual also involves sisters worshipping religious symbols and deities, followed by offerings of traditional foods, including walnuts, dried fruits, sweets and sel roti, a traditional Nepali rice-flour bread.

Bhai Tika is also known as Yamadwitiya and carries religious significance associated with Yama, the Hindu god of death, and his sister Yamuna.

The festival is also observed as Kija Puja among the Newar community of Nepal, with customs and observance dates varying according to family traditions.