The story of Bhaidooj
As mentioned earlier that before performing teeka ceremony sisters are to hear the story of Bhaidooj just as on karwachouth festival ladies hear the story of Karwachouth then performing the ceremony. There is a story behind every festival. This plays a very important role in cultivating interest towards festival and strengthening the faith of masses towards their rituals and cultural traditions.Most of the Indian festivals are character specific. It easily helps to understand and to know the true importance and significant of a particular festival. So just like all other Indian festivals Bhaidooj also has a story. This story of Bhaidooj has been passed from generation to generation either by words of mouth or through carefully stored scripts. Generally the elder one in the family narrates the story of Bhaidooj which is as under :
Long long ago once there was an old lady residing with her son in a village. Graduly the bod grew up and turned up into a handsome young boy. One day in the month of Kartika when he want to the field side in the morning, he saw so many persons going on the way along with their bag and baggages. The boy was eager to know as to where all those people were going. He came back to his house and asked from his mother about it. Mother told him that tomorrow is the Bhaidooj and all the people he saw on the way were gong to visit their sisters to get the teeka ceremony performed by heir sisters. The boy was exited to know as to whether he is also having any sister. He asked about it from his mother. The mother told him that yes he has a sister. Boy became very happy to hear that he is having a sister. He ixpressed his desire to visit his sister on the occasion of Bhaidooj. His mother tried to avoid by giving so many pleas i.e. your sister is very rich and we are the poor, she will not pay proper respect to him. But brother was not ready to hear anything more and told his mother that he will go to meet his sister without fail. Mother permitted him. He started his journey. During those days no means of transportation were available, one has to travel on his foot. At last he reached to his sister's house. He saw that sister was spinning the wheel to make thread from cotton. He stood in the porch waiting eagerly that his sister will come and welcome him. But on the other hand the cotton thread which sister was spinning went broken. Sister was trying to join that broken thread. On seeing this, the boy thought for a while that his mother was absolutely right in saying that my sister is rich thus she has gone proudly, that is why she is not coming to welcome me. The boy made up his mind to go back without meeting her. On the other hand sister in between successfully joined that broken thread and came to her brother. She met him affectionately, gave him a warm welcome. Took him inside the house and told him that she was trying to join his life thread to cover all risks in his coming life. Brother pleased to know the feelings of his sister towards him.
Sister offered so many delicious dishes to her brother and brother felt contented with the love, food and feelings offered by his sister to him. On the next day brother was to move on his return journey. The sister wake up early in the morning, grinded rice and prepared sweets for his brother to eat on the way. As the whole work was done early in the morning. At that time electricity was also not available, people have to use earthern lamps dim light. A snake was there in the grinder who was also grinder alongwith rise. The brother left the house of his sister. After bading fairwell to brother, sister after finishing her routine work took two pieces of sweet which she gave to her brother. As she was about to taste she saw that the colour of sweet has gone to be blue in place of light brown. She checked the grinder and found that snake was got grinded along with rice. She left her house open, did not even bothered to wear chappal and went on running shouting. "If opened don't eat. if opened, don't eat". In the mean while she saw that her brother was sitting near a river. He just had taken his bath in the river and was opening the box of sweets given to him by his sister. He was about to eat the sweets. The sister immediately threw all the sweets in the river and hugged her brother like anything. Then she narrated the whole story to him and told him that she will now life accompany him. She will not let him alone on the way to go as his seems be in danger. The sister accompanied the brother and both brother and sister reached their home. Mother was surprised to saw her daughter after such a long gap. Now mother requested her that she may stay there till the marriage of her brother. An offer came from girl side which was accepted. The marriage date was fixed and ceremonies started. side which were accepted. Whenever any ceremony of marriage was about to be performed, the sister started to weep badly. Everyone was surprised to see such behaviour of the only sister. But sister was in actual feared to remember the instances took place in past.
Where Barat procession was about to move the sister insisted to accompany the Barat. During those old days girls or ladies were not to accompany the Barat processions, still she did not heard anyone and at last all were agreed to take her along with the Barat. All the way she was worried and feared. They reached to the place where Barat was to be welcomed by the girl side relatives. The gate was beautifully decorated for the welcome ceremony. But the sister refused that welcome ceremony will not be performed at the sight already prepared for the purpose. She insisted that Barat be welcomed at some other gate. Though no one was happy with the situation still some elderly persons agreed to accept her suggestion. As soon as Barat left that place to move to some other gate, the gate decorated for the purpose fell down like a playing card's castle. If welcome of Barat was done at that gate the groom was sure to be buried beneath the fallen gate. On this, every one in Barat thanked the sister to be with them at that time and to save all from a big incident.
Now it was the time for main marriage ceremony - the sacred seven rounds around the fire. Every one was to sit there and to witness the ceremony. The sister asked for an earthern pot along with the earthern plate to be put on the pot. In Hindi it is called a Haandi with Dhakkan. As she saved the groom and the Barat from the falling gate thus every one was of the opinion that she be provided what so ever she wanted. Thus she was given a Haandi with Dhakkan. Though every one was enjoying the marriage but the sister seemed to be very much worried and she sit just near the shoes of the groom. Yet she was worried and thoughtful still was vigilant. She saw a snake came and hide in the groom's shoe. The sister carefully picked the shoe alongwith the snake, put the same in the haandi and covered with the Dhakkan.
As soon as the marriage ceremony was over, every one stood up and started to wear their shoes but one shoe of the groom was missing from there. When every one was searching for the from groom's shoe, the sister told that shoe was there in the Haandi. She opened the Dhakkan on Haandi and every one saw that a snake was sitting inside the shoe. Everyone there was shocked to see the snake inside groom's shoe. The sister told them to all that she came alongwith Barat just to save the life of her brother from repeatedly happening dangerous incidents. Since then, this tradition of hiding shoes of groom when he goes for marriage Pooja (sacred - seven rounds about fire) is prevailing. Although in present days the tradition is taken to be of a humorous sense but in actual it is the same which started after the incident narrated above in the story. The Barat came back along with the bride. The sister's story was told to the mother by the relatives. The mother expressed her thanks to the daughter for saving her brother's life. Sister simply smiled and replied that only for this occasion I was very much worried. Now I have done my duty and will return back to my In-laws- house.
What a thought of sacrifice remains in the heart of sisters for their brothers has been explained through this story of Bhaidooj. It gives a very lovely messages, which once again provokes sisters to even put their own lives in danger to save their brothers from any such mishappening. The story of Bhaidooj is just an example. Sister's love for brother is even more powerful and sentimental than that. So hearing story on a festival has its own importance story always give a message which is being communicated since long generation to generation.
As soon as the marriage ceremony was over, every one stood up and started to wear their shoes but one shoe of the groom was missing from there. When every one was searching for the from groom's shoe, the sister told that shoe was there in the Haandi. She opened the Dhakkan on Haandi and every one saw that a snake was sitting inside the shoe. Everyone there was shocked to see the snake inside groom's shoe. The sister told them to all that she came alongwith Barat just to save the life of her brother from repeatedly happening dangerous incidents. Since then, this tradition of hiding shoes of groom when he goes for marriage Pooja (sacred - seven rounds about fire) is prevailing. Although in present days the tradition is taken to be of a humorous sense but in actual it is the same which started after the incident narrated above in the story. The Barat came back along with the bride. The sister's story was told to the mother by the relatives. The mother expressed her thanks to the daughter for saving her brother's life. Sister simply smiled and replied that only for this occasion I was very much worried. Now I have done my duty and will return back to my In-laws- house.
What a thought of sacrifice remains in the heart of sisters for their brothers has been explained through this story of Bhaidooj. It gives a very lovely messages, which once again provokes sisters to even put their own lives in danger to save their brothers from any such mishappening. The story of Bhaidooj is just an example. Sister's love for brother is even more powerful and sentimental than that. So hearing story on a festival has its own importance story always give a message which is being communicated since long generation to generation.
