India is full of uncountable festivals; every festival has importance and meaning. With multiple festivals celebrated every year in India, especially in Hinduism, people often confuse Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj. Are they the same or different? What is the significance of each of these festivals? Let us know the answer to all these questions below.
History of Raksha Bandhan
Many mythological stories are associated with Raksha Bandhan, but the most prominent ones include Lord Krishna and Lady Draupadi. According to a legend, Draupadi and Krishna were good friends. Lord Krishan used to take care of Draupadi like his own sister.
One day, after her marriage, Draupadi tied rakhi made of cloth on the wrist of Lord Krishna since his hand was bleeding. Lord Krishna liked her gesture so much that he promised to protect her forever from all sorts of evil. That is also why it is said that Lord Krishna helped Lady Draupadi when the Kauravas molested her in the royal court.
Since then, the invention of Raksha Bandhan came into existence, and every sister started tying rakhi to their brothers and got a promise of lifelong protection from them.
Apart from this famous legend, King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi are also famous when goddess Lakshmi tied a Rakhi on the wrist of demon King Bali and made him her brother. When king Bali asked her to tell him what gift she wanted from her brother, goddess Lakshmi asked him to let Lord Vishnu free and return to her abode Vaikhunt. Demon king Bali accepted her request and happily left for Vaikhunt with her husband.
Those are some of the stories associated with the celebration of Raksha Bandhan, a festival of sister and brother. Now let us know the story of Bhai Dooj.
History of Bhai Dooj
The existence of Bhai Dooj also involves Lord Krishna. Another legend says that when Lord Krishan Ji killed the demon Narakasur, he went straight to visit his beloved sister, Lady Subhadra. He did that because she was worried for the safety of her brother due to the fight between him and the demon Naraksaur.
After seeing lord Krishan in front of her, lady Subhadra got emotional and gave him a warm welcome. She invited him into the house and applied a ‘Tilak’ on his forehead as the mark of his victory. The sibling duo then spent the entire day together as lady Subhadra prepared lord Krishna’s favorite food. They both had the food together and cherished each other’s presence and their precious bond of siblinghood.
Apart from this, another fable says that the lord of the death, Yamraj, also met his sister on the same day and spent the day at his sister’s house. He visited her after 12 years, and lady Yamuna requested lord Yamraj always to come and meet her. Yamraj promised to see his sister on the same day and eat food with her.
Since then, precisely two days after Diwali, Bhai Dooj has been celebrated on the second lunar day of Shukla paksha.
What is the difference between Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj festivals?
Now, the difference and similarities between the two festivals are pretty clear. While Raksha Bandhan is celebrated as a brother’s promise to protect her sister forever, Bhai Dooj is celebrated as the day when siblings bond over food and childhood-related gossip.
Another difference between these two festivals is Bhai Dooj is not celebrated with the rakhi tying ritual, while Raksha Bandhan is solely based on this ritual. On Bhai dooj, a sister only applies ‘tilak’ on her brother’s forehead.
Talking about the similarities, one of the major similarities between these two festivals is the people celebrating them. Brothers and sisters celebrate Bhai Dooj and Raksha Bandhan. They visit each other’s houses to fulfill the rituals and complete the festivities.
Another similarity between Bhai Dooj and Raksha Bandhan is the ritual of gifting. You must always gift something to your sibling on these two days. Since Raksha Bandhan is over and Bhai Dooj is around the corner, visit Rakhibazaar.com and check out their Bhai Dooj Gifts collection to avail the best gifts for your siblings. They deliver gifts across India and to many international countries like the USA, UK, Canada, etc. To get your choicest gift before they go out of stock, order now and fulfill the rituals of the Bhai Dooj festival.
