What is your favorite festival? Which festival celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters? Rakhi isn’t it? The festival of Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan is one of the most important festivals celebrated in India. Which are the major areas where this festival is celebrated? People residing in different parts of the country celebrate the festival in different ways. Although celebrated all across the country, the occasion is prevalent mostly in the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, with a diaspora of people hailing from states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and other states. How do people celebrate this festival? We will cover the same here. People start preparing for the celebration about a couple of weeks ago or if the brother is not at home then people buy and send rakhi online too.
Importance of Raksha Bandhan
The history of performing the ritual of Raksha Bandhan dates back to Hindu mythology. In the great Indian epic Mahabharata, we see Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, tearing a corner of her saree and tying it around the wrist of Lord Krishna to prevent bleeding. This action marks the development of a brother and sister bond between them, post which Lord Krishna promised to protect her.
Indians celebrate the ritual on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravana (July or August). Sisters on this day tie rakhi on their brother’s wrists and pray for their long life and happiness. The brothers, in return, offer gifts to their sisters as a promise to protect them from any harm. Within the rakhis reside religious feelings and well wishes of the sisters.
How to Celebrate Rakhi in an Amazing Way?
The common practices of the celebration include the following:
Purchasing Rakhi
Before the arrival of the auspicious day of Raksha Bandhan, sisters start purchasing rakhis for their brothers. They look for special rakhis that have colorful threads and unique designs. The designs and patterns vary right from simple zari work to cartoon rakhis and those with modern designs. Sisters are well aware of their brothers’ choices and purchase the best one for them. While the small brothers and sisters prefer cartoon rakhis, the elder ones opt for zari work and simple Swastik rakhis.
Today most people are engaging in purchasing rakhi from an online store. Suppose your brother is staying in another part of the country or another part of the world. In that case, you can choose your favorite rakhi for your brother from the amazing collections available at Rakhi Celebrations.
The Day of Raksha Bandhan
On the auspicious day of Raksha Bandhan, brothers and sisters observe the festival in order to get up early and freshen up for the day. They put on new clothes and get ready to celebrate the day. Sisters keep fast on the day and break the fast after tying the rakhi on their brother’s wrist.
Preparing the Rakhi Thali
The sisters prepare the rakhi thali before the celebration takes place. The thal contains all the ingredients required for the ritual. Decorating the Rakhi thali involves creativity. The sisters choose a metal thali, such as silver, steel, brass, or any other metal. After choosing the thali, she places all the ingredients, such as:
- Roli
- Chawal (rice)
- Diya (earthen lamp)
- Sweets
- Flowers
- Water
- Rakhi
- Nariyal (coconut, it is optional)
- Kumkum and sindoor
You can also send rakhi thali online if your brother dwells in another part of the country or world.
The Ritual
Sisters and brothers sit together and perform the ritual with their grandparents, parents, and other members of the family. The ritual starts by lighting a Diya or an earthen lamp, which represents the fire deity. The sisters perform an aarti followed by prayers for the well-being of their brothers. Then the sisters apply a ‘tilak’ on the foreheads of their brothers. Then they feed a portion of the sweet or dessert to their brothers and finally tie the rakhis in their brothers’ wrists.
Exchanging Gifts
After the sisters’ ties rakhis around their brothers’ wrist, it is now time for exchanging gifts. The gift can be in the form of money, a gift from an offline or online gifting store. It can be a dress, piece of jewelry, or any other gift. You can even go for rakhi gifts online delivery services if your brother dwells in another country. Alternatively, you can even opt for special rakhi gift hampers for your sisters and brothers at Rakhi Celebrations.
Meals
Sisters, along with the other members of the family, prepare some special dishes for their brothers. Delicacies include sweets, porridge, specially prepared thalis, or special food preparations, such as Pindi chole with authentic Indian bread. Some sisters also prepare Indo-Chinese platters or celebrate the day by going out to a restaurant.
Last Words
It is a sacred verse of unity, which acts as a symbol of advancement in life and delivers a message of togetherness. Raksha means protection, and while women felt unsafe in the medieval period, they tied rakhi on the wrist of men giving the respect of brothers. Hence, rakhi strengthens the bond of love and revives emotional bonding between brothers and sisters. Brahmins change their sacred thread (Hanoi) on an auspicious day and dedicate themselves to studying scriptures.
Rakhi is an auspicious day for Indian brothers and sisters. It is the day when not only the siblings but the whole family celebrates.
About The Author
Anurag Malik is content manager at RakhiCelebrations, an ethnic rakhi collection online shop. He loves to share his ideas on social media on lifestyle, health, business and more.
