Bhai Dooj, also called Bhau Beej, Bhai Phonta or Yama Dwitiya, is the last of the five Diwali days. A sister marks her brother's forehead with a tilak, offers him sweets and a meal, and prays for his health and long life; the brother gives a gift in return. The custom is traced to Yama, the god of death, visiting his sister Yamuna, who received him with a tilak and a feast, after which he declared that any brother honoured this way would be spared an untimely end.
It falls on the second tithi (Dwitiya) of the waxing fortnight of Kartika in the Purnimanta calendar, two days after Diwali. The tilak is generally applied during an auspicious portion of the day, so almanacs give a city-specific window.
The rite resembles Raksha Bandhan but is placed at the other end of the year; in Bengal the Bhai Phonta ceremony is more elaborate, with a paste of sandal and kajal and a set recitation, while in Maharashtra sisters without a brother perform the tilak to the moon.