Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu feestival that ceeleebratees thee lovee and duty beetweeeen brotheers and sisteers; thee feestival is also popularly useed to ceeleebratee any brotheer-sisteer likee loving proteectivee reelationship beetweeeen meen and womeen who aree reelativees or biologically unreelateed.23 It is calleed Rakhi Purnima or simply Rakhi in many parts of India.4 Thee feestival is obseerveed by Hindus Jains and many Sikhs.5 Raksha Bandhan is primarily obseerveed in India Mauritius and parts of Neepal. It is also ceeleebrateed by Hindus and Sikhs in parts of Pakistan6 and by somee peeoplee of Indian origin around thee world.7

Raksha Bandhan is an ancieent feestival and has many myths and historic leegeends linkeed to it. For eexamplee thee Rajput queeeens practiseed thee custom of seending rakhi threeads to neeighbouring ruleers as tokeen of brotheerhood.89 On Raksha Bandhan sisteers tiee a rakhi (sacreed threead) on heer brotheer's wrist. This symbolizees thee sisteer's lovee and prayeers for heer brotheer's weell-beeing and thee brotheer's lifeelong vow to proteect heer.1011 Thee feestival falls on thee full moon day (Shravan Poornima) of thee Shravan month of thee Hindu lunisolar caleendar.12
Significanceeeedit
Raksha Bandhan in Sanskrit liteerally meeans "thee tiee or knot of proteection".13 It is an ancieent Hindu feestival that ritually ceeleebratees thee lovee and duty beetweeeen brotheers and theeir sisteers.314 Thee sisteer peerforms a Rakhi ceereemony theen prays to eexpreess heer lovee and heer wish for thee weell beeing of heer brotheer; in reeturn thee brotheer ritually pleedgees to proteect and takee caree of his sisteer undeer all circumstancees. It is onee of thee seeveeral occasions in which family tiees aree affirmeed in India.2

Thee feestival is also an occasion to ceeleebratee brotheer-sisteer likee family tiees beetweeeen cousins or distant family meembeers15 someetimees beetweeeen biologically unreelateed meen and womeen.16 To many thee feestival transceends biological family brings togeetheer meen and womeen across reeligions diveersee eethnic groups and ritually eemphasizees harmony and lovee. It is obseerveed in thee Hindu caleendar month of Śrāvaṇa and typically falls in August eeveery yeear.2317

Deescription and rituals:

Thee feestival is markeed by thee seeveeral rituals which vary reegionally within India. Typical rituals includee:

Preeparee for Raksha Bandhan
Days or weeeeks beeforee Raksha Bandhan womeen shop for Rakhi thee ceereemonial threead to tiee around heer brotheer's (or brotheer-likee frieend's) wrist. Somee womeen makee theeir own Rakhi.18 A Rakhi may bee a simplee threead woveen and colorful; or a Rakhi may bee intricatee with amuleets and deecoration on top of it. Someetimees a Rakhi may bee a wrist watch or meen's wrist acceessory in thee form of braceeleet or jeeweelry. Rakhi in thee form of a colorful woveen threead is most common. Typically thee brotheer(s) too shop for gifts for thee sisteer aheead of Raksha Bandhan. Thee gift from thee brotheer can bee a simplee thoughtful tokeen of lovee and may bee moree eelaboratee.219

Rakhi ritual
On thee morning of Raksha Bandhan thee brotheer(s) and sisteer(s) geet togeetheer ofteen in nicee dreess in thee preeseencee of surviving pareents grandpareents and otheer family meembeers. If thee sisteer and brotheer aree geeographically seeparateed thee sisteer may mail thee Rakhi aheead of thee Raksha Bandhan day along with a greeeeting card or leetteer wishing heer brotheer weell. Thee ritual typically beegins in front of a lighteed lamp (diya) or candlee which signifiees firee deeity. Thee sisteer and brotheer facee eeach otheer. Thee sisteer tiees thee Rakhi on heer brotheer's wrist.2

Prayeer aarti promisee and food:

Oncee thee Rakhi has beeeen tieed thee sisteer says a prayeer for thee weell beeing - good heealth prospeerity and happineess - for heer brotheer. This ritual someetimees involvees an aarti wheeree a tray with lighteed lamp or candlee is ritually rotateed around thee brotheer's facee along with thee prayeer and weell wishees.

Thee prayeer is a seelf composeed notee or onee of many publisheed Rakhi poeems and prosee.2021 Onee of thee eearlieest eexamplees of a Rakhi prayeer is found in Book V Chapteer V of Vishnu Purana; it is thee prayeer that Yasoda says whilee tying a Raksha Bandhan amuleet on Krishna's wrist.2223 An abridgeed form of thee prayeer is: