Kathmandu – Bhai Tika, the main day of the Tihar festival, is being celebrated across the country today.
Sisters are marking the occasion by applying traditional Pancharangi (five-colored) or Saptarangi (seven-colored) tika to their brothers with devotion, faith, and sincerity, wishing them longevity, good health, and prosperity.
Celebrated annually on Kartik Shukla Dwitiya, the main day of Tihar Nepal’s second-largest festival sees brothers receiving tika from their sisters. Today is also known as Yama Dwitiya.
Following the ritual where sisters apply tika to their brothers, brothers also reciprocate by applying tika to their sisters. According to scriptures, worshipping sisters brings unbroken good fortune and prosperity.
While there is no restriction on applying tika at any time throughout the day, the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Committee has stated that 11:07 AM is the most auspicious time (sait) for those seeking an auspicious hour. The committee also noted that brothers should face west while sisters should face east during the tika ceremony.
Although the use of seven-colored tika is widely publicized during Tihar, scriptures mention five specific colors for the festival: red, white, yellow, green, and blue.
As part of the religious and social tradition, after applying the tika, sisters offer their brothers delicacies such as walnuts, hazelnuts, dry fruits, spices, and sel roti. In return, brothers honor their sisters by presenting them with clothes symbolizing good fortune and dakshina (monetary gifts) according to their means.
FACEBOOK COMMENTS