On the second lunar day of the Shukla Paksha of the Hindu month of Kartika, Bhai Dooj is celebrated all over the country and in several parts of the world, with great aplomb and festivities. In the olden days, the day would be celebrated with a lavish feast and gifts of either money or simply blessings. These days, people prefer to look for Bhai Dooj gifts online as there is a huge variety on offer and there is always the ease of shopping too.
There are two stories that are most commonly associated with Bhai Dooj – one story is about Krishna and the other about Yama. It is said that when Krishna defeated Narakasura and freed all the princesses from their prison, he was invited by his darling sister, Subhadra for a visit. There, she welcomed him with flowers, an elaborate feast and all his favourite sweets. She also applied a tilak on his forehead and prayed for his good health and well-being. The other story is about Yama going to meet his sister Yamuna and enjoying a wonderful day with her. This was probably also the start of brothers taking gifts for sister, especially after a really good harvest.
The celebrations on this day tend to start in the morning, when both brother and sister will get ready, after having taken a proper bath and wearing nice clothes. The sister will perform an aarti for her brother, feed him sweets and then an elaborate feast will be laid out. In the olden days, the sister would send her brother off with gifts, but these days, gifts are exchanged are either way. In case women do not have brothers or have brothers who live really far away and are unable to travel, they will worship the moon, considering it their brother. This is one of the reasons kids are often asked to refer to the moon as chandamama (chanda being the moon and mama being maternal uncle).
Now let’s move onto the best gifts for brother that you can choose this year:
- Statues and figurines: When you come to eCraftIndia, you will be able to see a huge range of statues and figurines, each one better than the other. These handcrafted statues and figurines make for excellent gifts for brothers, because they can decide whether they want to show these off in their home or office. At this one stop shop for Indian handicraft items online, you can find statues of religious figures, which are ideal for home as well as decorative figurines such as animals that are perfect for offices. You can even look at adorable little Buddhas, Ganeshas and more that your brother could place at his home, office or even the dashboard of the car.
- Clocks: It doesn’t matter whether your brother is punctual or tardy, because every household needs a clock and at eCraftIndia, you get to choose from some of the finest looking wall and table clocks. These handcrafted time pieces are all masterpieces in themselves, but they will give you the accurate time, every time too! these clocks will prove to be really classy wall décor items too and we offer them in a range of shapes, sizes and patterns, giving you the option to choose one that matches your brother’s preference the best.
- Decorative platters: For brothers who are foodies, there could be no better treat than a hamper of chocolates or sweets or dry fruits. Now, you can create your own hamper by using one of the decorative platters that you find at eCraftIndia as the base – once the food packed in it is over, the platter can be used in the kitchen or as a decorative item for the living spaces. A really good idea to reuse the platter would be keep it on the dining table with decorative candles or on the living room coffee table as a base for some cute little Lord Ganesha idols.
- Photo frames: Some of the best memories of your life with your brother are probably stashed away in the some old album. This year, why not get a stunning collage created from all those adorable memories and you can choose an equally beautiful photo frame from our collection to place the collage in. We are confident that this will be one gift that your brother will want to display with pride and love!
- Keyholders: If your brother is the type who is always leaving his keys around and then looking for them, then you should most certainly look through our collection of wonderful keyholders. These are not only a great way to keep your keys organised, but also prove to be wonderful additions to the interior décor. What is really nice about these keyholders is that they can be used at home and even in an office or store.
But what if you are looking for gifts for your sister? Well, we have you covered there too:
- Pooja thali: Since Bhai Dooj starts with a pooja, would not a decorative pooja thali be one of the best options for your sister? You can buy decorative pooja thali online at eCraftIndia that can be used not only for this pooja, but any special or festive occasion. And in case she does not want to use it for pooja, she can always use it as a decorative piece for the living space or even the pooja room.
- Decorative lighting options: At eCraftIndia, we have one of the largest selections of decorative lighting options and we are sure that you will be able to find more than one option that will make your sister happy. There are several traditional diyas on offer and when you see the type of decorative brass diyas online you will not only see the craftsmanship of local Indian artisans, but also the creativity. From small simple diyas to elaborate intricately carved ones, from ones that you can place in the mandir to ones that you can hang from the wall, there is plenty to pick from. And in case you want some non-traditional lighting solutions, there are also tea light holders, which are really pretty decor pieces on their own.
- Premium bedsheets: There are several people who look for gifts that have a decorative value and then there are those who look at the more practical aspect. If you or your sister belong to the second category, then you will most certainly love the selection of premium bedsheets. These are made using high quality fabric, ensuring durability and high levels of comfort; the prints and patterns used are a combination of traditional and contemporary and you can choose from a range of colours and sizes too.
- Jharokhas and wall decor: No one likes bare walls and we at eCraftIndia, consider ourselves somewhat experts in wall décor – whether you wish to buy wall paintings online or want something a little more elaborate like a jharokha, there is something for every type of taste here. Each of the handcrafted wall décor items has been crafted by talented local artisans and while some are completely traditional, there are plenty of options that have a more modern twist to them. No matter which one you choose, your sister will certainly love it!