Indian culture revolves around integrity of the family unit. As such, most Indian holidays celebrate these relationships or involve bringing the family together. One such holiday is Raksha Bandhan, which is more commonly referred to as “rakhi.” Rakhi is the celebration of brotherly and sisterly love. Over the years, it has evolved to encompass brotherly and sisterly love- not only between siblings but also- between cousins, friends, and colleagues.
Rakhi is traditionally celebrated in August and is accompanied by certain rituals. Essentially, brothers promise to protect their sisters from any woes; in exchange sisters pray for their brother’s well-being and long life. Sisters prepare a platter to offer to the gods who bless it. Amongst the many items on the planter, there is a thread which sisters tie around their brother’s right wrist after it has been blessed. This thread symbolizes the sister’s love. Brothers and sisters then feed each other sweets that were also blessed by the gods. The ritual ends with brothers presenting their sisters with gifts as a sign of gratitude for praying for them.
The best part about celebrating Rakhi is that everyone gets to feel special! Although, being a girl, I would argue that brothers get the better deal since they are practically guaranteed a longer life 😉
I am so glad to see this post! Growing up I used to always watch bollywood movies and I would see them doing this rahki holiday but I never knew the actual religious reasoning behind it. I think this holiday is so cool because I am very family oriented. It would be so awesome to celebrate this holiday considering I have a HUGE family. Great post!
I can relate to the importance brotherly/sisterly love as I am the oldest of four and we make efforts to stay close. The meaning of the Rakhi holiday is so heartwarming! I wish we had something official like this to promote such unity. I love it! Thank you for sharing.
I have grown up celebrating Raksha Bandhan almost every year. It has always been an exciting holiday. When I was younger I never understood the real meaning behind it; I just liked receiving gifts. As I have gotten older, I have recognized it more than just getting gifts, but as a way for my brother and I to feel closer. Since the past couple of years, I have been away at college, I haven’t been able to see my brother to tie a rakhi I still send him and some of my cousin brothers one.
WOW!! This posting was very interesting to read. How cool is it to actually have a holiday specifically for siblings to celebrate love for one another. Yes it is true that we have siblings day here in the states as well but not to many siblings actually celebrate one another especially to the extent like the rahki tradition. I kinda want to take some of the aspects of rahki and apply the traditions with my siblings.
Firstly, I love your title and the humor. Over the years I’ve had many Indian girl friends who have joked about “brother-ing” a guy friend who tried to step out of the friend zone LOL!
Anyways, I love the concept behind this holiday. I wish this was more of a universal holiday because it seems that nowadays, siblings tend not to get along as well as they did back in the day and it would really bring a family together. <3
I loved reading about this! Raksha Bandhan is one of my favorite custom to celebrate. We have a big family, so all of my cousins get together and tie rakhis on each other’s hands. We recently started ordering bracelets for everyone, which makes us all feel close and connected. I love how much the Indian culture emphasizes family and togetherness. The meaning behind Raksha Bandhan is very powerful, and I feel lucky to have brothers who will always protect me. Thanks for sharing!