SSC
Bhai Dooj is celebrated on which day of the five-day Diwali festivities?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option D — The fifth and last day
Detailed Solution
Bhai Dooj is celebrated on the fifth and last day of the five-day Diwali festival, on the second day (Dwitiya) of the bright half of the month of Kartika, two days after the main Diwali day. It celebrates the bond of love between brothers and sisters.
The name comes from "bhai" (brother) and "dooj" (the second day of the lunar fortnight). On Bhai Dooj, sisters invite their brothers to their homes, apply a tilak of vermilion, rice or sandalwood on their foreheads, perform aarti, and pray for their long life, health and prosperity. They prepare their brothers' favourite food and sweets. In return, brothers give gifts to their sisters and promise to protect them.
According to a popular legend, Yama, the god of death, visited his sister Yami (Yamuna) on this day. She welcomed him with a tilak, aarti and a feast. Pleased, Yama declared that any brother who receives a tilak from his sister on this day would be protected from untimely death. The festival is therefore also called Yama Dwitiya. Another legend says that Lord Krishna, after killing the demon Narakasura, visited his sister Subhadra, who welcomed him with a tilak and flowers.
The festival has different names in different regions: Bhau-Beej in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka; Bhai Phonta in West Bengal; Bhai Tika in Nepal, where it is part of the Tihar festival; and Bhathru Dwitiya in some parts of South India.
The five days of Diwali are:
- Dhanteras (first day).
- Naraka Chaturdashi or Chhoti Diwali (second day).
- Lakshmi Puja, the main Diwali (third day).
- Govardhan Puja or Annakut (fourth day).
- Bhai Dooj (fifth day).
Why not the other options?
- ✗The first day is Dhanteras.
- ✗The second day is Naraka Chaturdashi (Chhoti Diwali).
- ✗The third day is the main Diwali, with Lakshmi Puja.
Quick tip
Remember: Bhai Dooj = the fifth day of Diwali, Kartika Shukla Dwitiya, Yama and Yamuna, the regional names Bhau-Beej and Bhai Phonta.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Festivals & Fairs of India Questions
View all ›- Q1.The Sarhul festival of Jharkhand, celebrated with traditional dances when the sal trees blossom, is especially associated with which tribe?
- Q2.'Chad Sukra', a popular traditional dance festival of the Pnar (Jaintia) people of Meghalaya, is celebrated as a:
- Q3.Which festival, celebrated in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, honours Gogaji, the folk deity worshipped as a protector against snakes?
- Q4.The 'Doul Utsav', a celebration of Holi linked with the Vaishnava satras, is mainly celebrated in which state?
- Q5.The Bhagoria festival of the Bhil tribes of Madhya Pradesh is associated with which major festival?
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.