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 😉