Bhai Tika is the fifth and final day of Tihar. Sisters pray for their brothers' long life and well-being, place a seven-colour tika and flower garlands on them, and brothers return the blessing with gifts. The details vary by family, community and region.
A day for siblings
For many families, Bhai Tika is the emotional centre of Tihar. Brothers and sisters make an effort to be together, sometimes travelling long distances to do so. Where a person has no brother or sister, a cousin or close relative may take that role, and many families adapt the ritual to their own circumstances.
Preparing the ritual
Customs differ, but several elements are widely recognised:
- Oil line: Many sisters draw a line of oil around their brothers, or pour oil in a circle, as a symbolic protection.
- Walnut at the threshold: In some households a walnut is placed at the doorway and cracked during the ritual, an act traditionally linked to protecting the brother from harm.
- Saptarangi tika: Sisters place a seven-colour (saptarangi) tika on their brothers' foreheads.
- Garlands: Brothers receive garlands of marigold (sayapatri) and makhamali (globe amaranth), flowers valued because they stay fresh for a long time.
Sisters usually offer sweets, fruit, nuts and other special foods, sometimes presented together as sagun. The prayers spoken and the order of each step depend on family tradition.
Brothers' blessings and gifts
After receiving tika, brothers often place tika on their sisters in return and offer gifts, money or clothes, along with wishes for their happiness. In many families, the exchange is as much about time spent together as about the gifts themselves.
The story of Yamaraj and Yamuna
Bhai Tika is commonly connected with a traditional story of Yamaraj, the god of death, and his sister Yamuna. In one version, Yamuna welcomes her brother with tika and garlands and asks that he not leave until the flowers fade and the oil line dries. Because the garlands stay fresh for a long time, the story is told as a symbol of a sister's wish for her brother's long life. Different versions are told in different families.
Deusi on the final nights
Around the last days of Tihar, groups of boys and young men go from house to house singing Deusi songs, receiving food or money and offering blessings in return.
Find this year's dates
Bhai Tika moves each year in the Nepali calendar, and some families follow a particular auspicious time for the tika. Check KhataPal's Tihar guide and calendar for the published date, the holiday list for public-holiday status, and your family priest or a trusted almanac for the auspicious time.