Tihar 2026 in Australia: Bhai Tika Time, Outfits and Gifts
Tihar runs from Saturday 7 to Wednesday 11 November 2026. Here is the Bhai Tika time converted for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin, what to wear each night, and gifts your sister will actually wear.
Tihar 2026 runs from Saturday 7 November to Wednesday 11 November. Laxmi Puja falls on Sunday 8 November, and Bhai Tika is on Wednesday 11 November, with the saait widely published as 11:39 am Nepal time. That is 4:54 pm in Sydney and Melbourne. Below are the times for every Australian city, what to wear each night, and gift ideas for your sister that arrive before the day.
Tihar 2026 dates
Tihar is the Festival of Lights, a five day celebration of the crow, the dog, the cow, yourself and then the bond between brothers and sisters. On the 2083 patro, the days will fall like this:
- Saturday 7 November – Kag Tihar. Crows are fed in the morning as messengers.
- Sunday 8 November – Kukur Tihar and Laxmi Puja. In the day dogs get garlands and they get tika too. In the evening the house lights are up for Laxmi, the goddess who brings wealth here.
- Tuesday 10 November – Govardhan Puja and Mha Puja. Newar families mark Mha Puja and the Nepal Sambat new year.
- Wednesday 11 November – Bhai Tika. Sisters give tika to their brothers.
This year is unusual: Laxmi Puja is on the second day, together with Kukur Tihar, rather than its usual third day. If your family follows a particular patro, it has the final word on the date and time for your home.
Bhai Tika 2026 time in Australia
Bhai Tika is on Wednesday 11 November 2026. Auspicious time (saait) is widely published as 11:39 am Nepal time. Converted to Australian time, with daylight saving in effect in NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS and SA:
- Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart: 4:54 pm (AEDT)
- Adelaide: 4:24 pm (ACDT)
- Brisbane: 3:54 pm (AEST)
- Darwin: 3:24 pm (ACST)
- Perth: 1:54 pm (AWST)
Nepal's Panchang Nirnayak Samiti announces the official saait closer to the festival, and we will update this page if it changes.
Because Bhai Tika falls on a Wednesday, many families in Australia hold the tika at the converted Nepal time after work or school, or at the same clock time locally, and gather again on the weekend. There is no wrong way to do it here. What matters is that the family is together and the tika is given with care.
What to wear for Laxmi Puja
Laxmi Puja is the brightest night of Tihar: diyo on every step, marigold garlands across the door, and the rangoli path leading Laxmi inside. Dress for lamplight.
- Colour: For auspicious nights most people go with reds, maroons and golden colours, greens and bright yellow. Black is usually avoided for puja.
- Outfit: a silk or embroidered kurta suruwal, or a sari, in a warm tone that glows under the lamps.
- Jewellery: pieces that catch the light. Polished jhumka and crystal earrings shine beside a diyo, and a necklace set completes a sari. Keep it a little lighter than Dashain; this is a night of colour rather than ceremony.
Browse Nepali earrings and jhumka and necklaces and necklace sets.
What to wear for Bhai Tika
Bhai Tika is the most photographed morning of Tihar, so sisters usually dress up most on this day.
- Red is traditional, the colour of the tika itself, and matches the yellow and orange of the makhamali mala.
- Bangles are the finishing touch. Tihar is the loud festival, and a full stack of glass chura is part of the sound of it. A multicolour stack matches the colours of the tika; red suits a red kurta or sari.
- Brothers often wear daura suruwal with a dhaka topi, or a kurta, for the photos.
See our full range of Nepali bangles and glass chura.
Bhai Tika colours and what they mean
On Bhai Tika, a sister gives her brother a saptarangi tika, a tika in seven colours, pressed along his forehead. She places a makhamali mala (globe amaranth garland) around his neck. The makhamali flower keeps its colour for a long time, and is chosen as a wish for his long life. Many families also draw a line of oil and water around the brother, and break a walnut (okhar) at the door, both for his protection.
The tradition recalls Yamuna, who kept her brother Yama, the god of death, at her home until the tika was complete, so that he could not take a brother's life that day. In return, the brother gives his sister a tika and a gift.
Bhai Tika gift ideas for your sister
The gift is the brother's part of the day and the jewellery she'll wear to many festivals again is one that keeps on giving. Here are some ideas delivered right across Australia.
- A festival bangle stack. Multicolour Glitter Glass Bangles in amber, rose, teal and green, or the softer Pastel Glitter Glass Bangles.
- Classic glass chura in five colours. The Five-Colour Glass Chura lets her match a stack to every outfit.
- Something that chimes. Gold Crystal Ghungroo Bangles have little bells that jingle when you move.
- Earrings for the photos. Crystal Jhumka Earrings catch the light in every Bhai Tika picture.
For Dashain and Tihar our sale is 15% off everything right up to when we celebrate Bhai Tika on 11 November.
When to order for Tihar
Delivery takes 2 business days anywhere in Australia. If you need them on time:
- For Laxmi Puja (Sunday 8 November): order by Wednesday 4 November.
- For Bhai Tika (Wednesday 11 November): order by Friday 6 November.
In Victoria, Tuesday 3 November is Melbourne Cup Day, a public holiday, so Melbourne orders should be placed a day earlier.
Frequently asked questions
When is Tihar 2026 in Australia? Saturday 7 to Wednesday 11 November 2026. The dates are the same in Australia as in Nepal; only the clock times change.
What time is Bhai Tika 2026 in Sydney? 4:54 pm on Wednesday 11 November, based on the widely published saait of 11:39 am Nepal time. Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart are the same; Brisbane is 3:54 pm, Adelaide 4:24 pm, Darwin 3:24 pm and Perth 1:54 pm.
When is Laxmi Puja 2026? Sunday 8th November 2026, the same day of Kukur Tihar this year.
What colour should I wear for Laxmi Puja? Warm, lucky colours: red, maroon, gold, marigold yellow, or green. Many families don't wear black for puja.
What is a good Bhai Tika gift for a sister? Jewellery she can wear at every festival: a bangle stack, jhumka earrings or a necklace set. Order by Friday 6 November for delivery before Bhai Tika.
Shubha Tihar from all of us at Nanabeni.