DIPHU, Nov 5 � The Bhai Tika Festival is celebrated on the fifth and final day of the popular festival of lights called Tihar or Panchak Yama in Nepali. The Bhai Tika Festival celebrates the brother-sister relationship. Along with the other parts of the State, the Bhai Tika Festival was also celebrated with enthusiasm and fervour by the Nepali community at different places in Karbi Anglong district. It was widely celebrated by the people belonging to the Nepali community at Diphu and Howraghat.
On the occasion, Nepali people living abroad arrived at their respective places and celebrated the festival according to religious rituals today. Sisters applied tilak on their brothers and prayed to Lord Yama, the God of Death, for their brothers� long and prosperous life. Gifts were also exchanged among the brothers and sisters with a lot of merriment.
Speaking on the significance of the Bhai Tika Festival, Chandra Mohan Upadhyaya, a teacher, said, �We celebrate the festival by following all the rituals and tradition. There is a popular legend behind the origin of the Bhai Tika Festival in the Nepali community. According to mythology, a sister rescued her brother from the clutches of Lord Yama by performing the Bhai Tika rituals. Following this belief, sisters have been applying tikas on the foreheads of their brothers for their protection and long life.�