Kathmandu: The most important day of Tihar, the festival of lights, is being observed today with sisters across the country offering tika to their brothers. This tradition, known as Bhaitika, involves sisters wishing their brothers happiness, long life, and prosperity.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the auspicious hour for offering the tika this year is 11:37 am. However, the ceremony can be performed until sunset, as stated by Chairman of the National Calendar Determination Committee, Prof Shree Krishna Adhikari. On this day, brothers sit at a specially prepared place encircled by a trail of mustard oil while their sisters perform the ritual.
The ceremony includes sisters applying colourful tika on their brothers’ foreheads and adorning them with garlands made of ‘dubo’ and ‘makhamali’. Following the ritual, sisters treat their brothers to a variety of sweets, walnuts, spices, and ‘Sel’, a special type of bread cooked in oil. In return, brothers offer tika to their sisters, wish them happiness an
d good luck, and present them with gifts.
The occasion commemorates a legendary event where a sister was granted a boon from “Yama”, the deity of death, ensuring her brother would not die until the mustard oil dries up and the garlands fade. The Bhaitika tradition is deeply rooted in Nepali society, extending even to those without biological siblings, who share the ceremony with individuals they regard as brothers and sisters.