Celebration of Rakshabandhan

1. Santoshi MaThe tale of the deity Santoshi Mata, and the narrative of her creation on Raksha Bandhan day, was popularized in the 1975 Bollywood blockbuster Jai Santoshi Maa. Ganesh had two sons, Shubh and Labh. On Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh sister visited and tied a rakhi on Ganesh wrist. Feelinand his two wives, Riddhi and Siddhi, for a sister. Finally, Ganesh conceded the demand and Santoshi Ma (literally the Mother Goddess of Satisfaction) was crea .....

Historical occurrences and mentions 2

2. Krishna and Draupadi Another incident is from the epic Mahabharat and concerns Krishna and Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas. She had once torn a strip of silk off her sari and tied it around Krishna wrist to staunch the bleeding from a battlefield wound.Krishna was touched by her action and declared her to be his sister, even though they were unrelated. He promised to repay the debt and then spent the next 25 years doing just that. Draupadi, in .....

Historical occurrences and mentions 3

3. King Bali and Goddess Laxmi According to a legend the Demon King Bali was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu had taken up the task to guard his kingdom leaving his own abode in Vaikunth. Goddess Lakshmi wished to be with her lord back in her abode. She went to Bali disguised as a woman to seek refuge till her husband came back. During the Shravan Purnima celebrations, Lakshmi tied the sacred thread to the King. Upon being asked, she reve .....

Historical occurrences and mentions 4

4. Yama and the Yamuna According to another legend, Raksha Bandhan was a ritual followed by Lord Yama (the Lord of Death) and his sister Yamuna, (the river in northern India). Yamuna tied rakhi to Yama and bestowed immortality. Yama was so moved by the serenity of the occasion that he declared that whoever gets a rakhi tied from his sister and promised her protection, will become immortal. .....

Historical occurrences and mentions 5

5. Alexander the Great and King PuruAccording to one legendary narrative, when Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 BC, Roxana (or Roshanak, his wife) sent a sacred thread to Porus, asking him not to harm her husband in battle. In accordance with tradition, Porus a Katoch king gave full respect to the rakhi. On the battlefield, when Porus was about to deliver a final blow to Alexander, he saw the rakhi on his own wrist and restrained himself fro .....

Historical occurrences and mentions 6

6. Rani Karnavati and Emperor HumayunA popular narrative that is centered around Rakhi is that of Rani Karnavati of Chittor and Mughal Emperor Humayun, which dates to 1535 CE. When Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of the king of Chittor, realised that she could not defend against the invasion by the Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, she sent a Rakhi to Emperor Humayun. Touched, the Emperor immediately set off with his troops to defend Chittor. Humay .....

Raksha Bandhan

7. Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters the festival is also popularly used to celebrate any brother sister like loving protective relationship between men and women who are relatives or biologically unrelated.It is called Rakhi Purnima, or simply Rakhi, in many parts of India. The festival is observed by Hindus, Jains, and many Sikhs.Raksha Bandhan is primarily observed in India, Mauritiu .....

Traditions & Customs

8. A custom (also called a tradition) is any thing which lots of people do, and have done for a long time. Usually, the people come from the same country, culture, time or religion. If something is usually done the same way, you might say that is the customary way of doing things.The meaning of culture is similar to the meaning of custom. A custom is more about practices, while culture is more about ideas or a group of customs. A custom overall is j .....

Preparation of Rakhi Festival

9. Generally, the fancy Rakhis and delicious sweets are prepared long before the Shravana Purnima. According to the Indian tradition, the family members get ready for the rituals early in the morning. They take a bath to purify mind and body before starting any preparations. Sisters prepare the puja thali which consists of roli, tilak, Rakhi threads, rice grains, aggarbattis (incense sticks), diyas and sweets. After offering the rituals to the deiti .....

Clebration

10. The festival is celebrated in different forms in different areas and is also known by different names. As per traditions, on this day the sister prepares the Puja Thali with a Diya, Rice, Roli and Rakhis. She worships the Gods, ties Rakhi to her brother and prays for his well being. In return the brother accepts the love with a promise to protect her sister and gives her a gift. Traditionally, they then share and eat sweets like Kaju Katli, Jaleb .....

Things to Know about Rakshabandhan

11. Shravan (pronounced shraavan) is the most holy month in the Hindu year. The full moon of Shravan or Shravan Purnima is the day of Raksha Bandhan, also known as Balev. Hindus all over the world celebrate this festival with great joy. We shall discuss the reason for this later. Raksha means protection. Bandhan means to be tied, to be bound. To understand the true significance of Raksha Bandhan, we must first know how it came about. Bali Raja, .....

A big celebration of patriarchal tradition

12. Yes, it happens in the Indian subcontinent every year. It is a big patriarchal festival celebrated by Hindus. Men and women of all ages, of all classes and of all castes celebrate Raksha Bandhan or the bond of protection. On this auspicious day, sisters tie a silk thread called Rakhi on their brothers .....

Poojan

13. Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection in Hindi) is a Hindu festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Shraavana. Raksha means protection and Banthan means tying. This festival is between brothers and sisters, where the sister ties a Rakhi on her brothers .....

Mantra for Raksha Bandhan

14. Yena baddho balee raajaa daanavendro mahaabalah; Tena twaam anubadhnaami rakshey maa chala maa chala Meaning I am tying on your hand this Raksha, with which the most powerful and generous King Bali himself was bound; O Raksha, don .....

Rakhi Thali

15. When it the time for celebrating the Rakhi festivity, enormous varieties of Rakhi thalis are available in the market. Decorated in a traditional manner, these Rakhi thalis resemble the thalis meant for performing pujas of the deities. The Raksha bandhan thali usually consists of a rakhi, diya, vermillion that is used to apply tika on the forehead of brothers, rice and sandalwood. Read on to find out as to how to decorate the Rakhi puja thali.When .....

Rakhi Around The World

16. Rakhi In EuropeRakhi is also celebrated with great zeal in various countries of Europe. It is celebrated by the South East Asian population residing here. People from different parts of the city gather at a common place at times to give festive touch to this occasion. As there are several people who live in these foreign states alone, they have developed brotherhood amongst themselves. Girls tie Rakhis to boys who are not their real brothers but .....

Types of Rakhi

17. Rakhi CardsSometimes it becomes quite impossible to celebrate the festival of Rakhi personally for those sisters or brothers who stay away from each other for varied reasons. There is a saying, .....

The Message of Rakhi

18. Raksha Bandhan symbolizes the unmatched bond of love, care and respect. But in a broader perspective the festival of Rakhi (Raksha Bandhan) conveys an intrinsic message of universal brotherhood and sisterhood. Thus the festival of Rakhi conveys a message that has socio spiritual significance underscoring the need for nurturing of positive qualities, purity in thought, word and deed. .....

Rakhi Food

19. Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection in Hindi) or Rakhi is a Hindu festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Shraavana festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi, or holy thread by the sister on the wrist of her brother. The brother in return offers a gift to his sister and vows to look after her. The brother and sister traditionally feed each other sweets. It is .....