KATHMANDU, Nov 6: Today is Bhaitika, the final day of the five-day-long Tihar festival.
According to the Nepal Calendar Determination Committee, 11:02 AM is the most auspicious time for receiving and offering Bhaitika today.
Sisters throughout the country offer tika to their brothers wishing them happiness, long life, and prosperity on the occasion of Bhaitika.
Bhaitika today, auspicious time at 11:52 am
In return, the brothers pledge to protect their sisters from all kinds of adversities.
On this day, brothers are seated at a specially anointed place around which a trail of mustard oil is drawn. The sisters then offer the brothers tika and garlands of 'Dubo' and 'Makhamali'.
After placing colorful tika on the foreheads of their brothers, sisters offer them a treat consisting of varieties of sweets, walnut, spices, and 'Sel', a special kind of bread cooked in oil.
Brothers also offer their sisters tika in return, wish them happiness and good luck, and give them presents. The occasion commemorates a legendary event in which a sister has won a boon from "Yama", the deity of death that her brother would not die until the mustard oil is dried up and the garland of 'Dubo' and 'Makhamali' faded.
The Bhaitika tradition is so strong in Nepali society that even those who have no brothers or sisters of their own receive tika from others whom they regard as brothers and sisters.
Nepali Hindus across the country and abroad are also observing Tihar festival amid adverse situations triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
(With inputs from RSS)
