Raksha Bandhan: The day of every brother and sister

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated to respect the bond that exists between every brother and sister and is filled with historical significance... The word Raksha means safety and Bandhan means bond. This festival is celebrated between siblings
for their undying support and a vow of protection of each other under any terrible situation.

It is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Sravana(August) in the lunar calendar.

On this day, sisters of all ages tie a rakhi, around the wrists of their brothers, symbolically protecting them, receiving a gift in return, and the tradition is to invest in the brothers with a part of their potential care responsibilities.

• From where does it's come :

This festival is mostly celebrated in North India. The history of Rakshabandhan dates back to Hindu mythology.

As per Hindu mythology, in Mahabharata, the great Indian epic,
the origin of Raksha Bandhan can be traced back to the day Lord Krishna was flying a kite and cut his finger. At that time Draupadi, the wife of Pandavas, was so distressed to see him hurt that she tore a piece of cloth and tied it to his hand.


• King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi- As per an account of Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana, when Lord Vishnu won the three worlds from the demon King Bali, he asked by the demon king to stay beside him in the palace. The Lord accepted the requested and started living with the demon king. However, Goddess Lakshmi, wife of Lord Vishnu wanted to return to his native place of Vaikuntha. So, she tied the rakhi around the wrist of demon king, Bali and made him a brother. On asking about the return gift, Goddess Lakshmi asked Bali to free her husband from the vow and let him return to Vaikuntha. Bali agreed to the request and Lord Vishnu returned to his place with his wife, Goddess Lakshmi.

• Santoshi Maa- It is said that the two sons of Lord Ganesha namely, Shubh and Labh were frustrated that they had no sister. They asked for a sister from their father who finally obliged to their sister on the intervention of saint Narada. This is how Lord Ganesha created Santoshi Maa through the divine flames and the two sons of Lord Ganesha got their sister for the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.


Importance of Raksha Bandhan among various religions in India

• Hinduism- The festival is mainly celebrated by the Hindus in the northern and western parts of India along with countries like Nepal, Pakistan and Mauritius.

• Jainism- The occasion is also revered by the Jain community where Jain priests give ceremonial threads to the devotees.

• Sikhism- This festival devoted to the brother-sister love is observed by the Sikhs as "Rakhardi" or Rakhari.


Reason for the celebration of this festival

The festival of Raksha Bandhan is observed as a symbol of duty between brothers and sisters. The occasion is meant to celebrate any type of brother-sister relationship between men and women who may not be biologically related.

On this day, a sister ties a rakhi around the wrist of her brother in order to pray for his prosperity, health and well-being. The brother in return offers a gifts and promises to protect his sister from any harm and under every circumstance. The festival is also celebrated between brother-sister belonging to distant family members, relatives or cousins.

Preparation of Raksha Bandhan

On the day of Raksha Bandhan, brothers and sisters wear new clothes and observe the festival in the presence of their parents, elders and grandparents.
Prior to the ceremony, before the full moon rises, the sister collects a number of things needed for the Raksha Bandhan ritual:

• Rakhi threads (silken threads of red and gold)

• Kumkum powder (what is placed in the center of the forehead)

• Diya (a lamp used in rituals)

• Agarbattis (incense sticks)

• Sweets

These items that she gathers on a large plate are called thali.

The ritual involves lighting a diya or earthen lamp which represents the fire deity and performing of aarti by the sisters. They perform prayers for the well-being of their brother and apply a "tilak" on the forehead of their brothers. Along with this, a portion of sweet/ dessert or dry fruits is fed to the brother and finally the rakhi is tied around the wrist of brother.


Offering of Gifts by brother 

After the rakhi is tied around the wrist, it is now the turn of brother to offer special rakhi return gifts to his sister.

The gift could be in the form of a money, a gift from an offline or online gifting store in the form of rakhi special gift hamper, a dress, a piece of jewellery items or any other such presents. For brothers who want to offer something unique and extraordinary to their sisters can check out the stunning range of Rakhi return gifts for their sisters at this place.

Conclusion 

Raksha Bandhan is one of the most enjoyable festivals. It gives the brother and sister to strengthen their bond. Nowadays, even sisters who do not have brothers celebrate Raksha Bandhan with their sisters. The essence of the festival remains the same nonetheless.