Bhaubeej on November 11 as Dwitiya tithi spans two days; aarti muhurat in the afternoon

Bhaubeej, the festival of love, closeness and trust between brothers and sisters, falls during the Diwali days. Many people are confused about the date this time. The reason is that the Dwitiya tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha spreads across two days, raising the question whether Bhaubeej is on November 10 or November 11.

According to the panchang, Bhaubeej will be celebrated this year on November 11, 2026. A special auspicious muhurat in the afternoon is also available for performing the aarti of the brother on this day.

Bhaubeej is celebrated every year on the Dwitiya tithi of the Shukla Paksha of the month of Kartik. The festival comes a day after Govardhan Puja. This time, the Dwitiya tithi will begin at 2:01 pm on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. It will last until 3:54 pm on Wednesday, November 11. Since Dwitiya tithi is in effect at sunrise on November 11, Bhaubeej will be observed on this day under the rule of udaya tithi.

The tithi and muhurat at a glance: the Kartik Shukla Dwitiya tithi begins at 2:01 pm on Tuesday, November 10, and ends at 3:54 pm on Wednesday, November 11. The main auspicious muhurat for the Bhaubeej aarti is from 1:10 pm to 3:20 pm.

The auspicious choghadiya muhurats on November 11 are: Labh choghadiya from 6:40 am to 8:01 am, Amrit choghadiya from 8:01 am to 9:22 am, and Shubh choghadiya from 10:43 am to 12:05 pm.

The puja requires a puja plate, a lamp, akshata, fruit, flowers, sweets, pure ghee, dry coconut and water. All of this should be kept ready in one place before the puja.

The method of puja is described as follows. On the day of Bhaubeej, one should wake up early and take an abhyanga snan, that is, a bath after applying oil and ubtan. Then, after putting on clean clothes, all the gods and goddesses of the house should be worshipped according to ritual.

To apply the tilak on her brother, the sister should place turmeric, kumkum, akshata and a lamp on the plate. The plate should first be placed at the feet of the deity to seek blessings. The brother should be seated on a low wooden seat, and he should cover his head with a handkerchief or a clean cloth.

The sister should apply a tilak of turmeric, kumkum and akshata on her brother's forehead. She should then tie a protective thread (kalava) on his wrist. After the thread is tied, a dry coconut (gola) is given to the brother. Families that follow this tradition should certainly give the coconut, and those that do not may skip it.

The sister should then wave the aarti around her brother and offer him sweets to sweeten his mouth. The brother should honour his sister by giving her a gift. Brother and sister sitting down to eat together on this day is considered very auspicious. If the sister is married, the brother should go to her house to celebrate Bhaubeej.

Note: According to the panchang, local sunrise and muhurat timings may differ by a few minutes. Timings should be fixed according to the panchang of one's own area.