Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan is the festival meant to tighten the knot of relation between
a brother and a sister. It is celebrated on the full moon day in the month
of Shravan (month according to Hindi calendar) which comes in the month of
August. Raksha Bandhan is also known as 'Rakhi'. In this festival, sisters
tie an auspicious thread on the wrist of their brothers. Raksha Bandhan
means 'Bond of Protection'.
This festival is celebrated to protect brothers from evil things and sisters
also pray to God for the well-being and long life of their brothers. On this
day, girls wear new clothes and don't eat anything before tying the rakhi on
their brothers' wrist. They put red vermillion (tika) on their brothers'
forehead, give them sweets to eat and tie the rakhi on their wrist.
Brothers, on the other hand, give gifts on Rakhi as the token of love and
blessings to their sisters. This festival sweetens the relation of brother
and sister.
History
There are many stories related with Raksha Bandhan. One story comes from the
epic Mahabharata, in which Draupadi, the wife of Pandavas tied a strip of
her sari around Lord Krishna's wrist to stop it from bleeding which was
wounded in the battlefield. Seeing this, Lord Krishna was deeply touched and
he confirmed Draupadi as his sister. He promised to protect her from all
evils and help her anytime when she will be in any problem. Lord Krishna
saved her prestige at the time of 'Chir Haran' which happened with her in
the court of King Dhritarashtra, where in the gambling Pandavas lost her to
the Kauravas.
Another story related to this festival is of Rani Karnavati of Chittor and
Mughal Emperor Humayun. When the widowed queen Rani Karnavati realized that
her land is going to be conquered by the Emperor Bahadur Shah, she sent a
rakhi to the Emperor Humayun. He became emotional and came to save the Rani
and her kingdom but he was too late.
According to another legend, the Demon King Bali was a great devotee of Lord
Vishnu, who, in turn, had taken up the task to guard his kingdom, leaving
his own abode in Vaikunth. Goddess Lakshmi who desired to accompany her lord
back to her abode, disguised as a woman and seek refuge till her husband
came back. During the celebrations of Shravan Purnima, Lakshmi tied the
sacred thread to the King. When asked about her identity and her purpose,
she revealed the truth. Touched by this, he sacrificed all he had for the
Lord and his devoted wife. Thus, the festival came to be known as Baleva,
that is Bali Raja's devotion to the Lord. It is said that since then it has
been a tradition to invite sisters in Shravan Purnima for the thread tying
ceremony or the Raksha Bandhan.
Popularity
On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, girls and married women put mehndi on
their hands. Both, brothers and sisters wear traditional dresses. Raksha
Bandhan or the festival of 'Rakhi' also emphasizes on the relations of
married women with their natal homes. Today, the practice has taken a more
universal and humanitarian form where women and girls tie rakhi to the
soldiers, the jailed convicts or other abandoned social sects to make them
feel loved and wanted.
They also tie 'rakhi' on the Prime Minister's wrist to take the promise of
protection. Especially, in northern and western part of India, many girls
tie rakhi around the wrists of boys and men who have no sisters and treat
them as their 'God-Brothers'. Earlier, rakhi used to be in the form of silk
thread and now it comes in every type such as rakhi made of gold, silver and
sandalwood. Along with this, for small children rakhi is now available with
their favorite cartoons.
Commonly Celebrated
Raksha Bandhan is celebrated across the whole country but it is mainly
celebrated in North India. It comes in the month of Shravan (month in Hindu
calendar) and according to English calendar in the month of August. Raksha
Bandhan is for every type of protection and demolisher of all evils. Today,
this festival has become very essential part of the Indian culture. It binds
the family with the bond of love. The values, sentiments and emotions
attached to the rituals of this festival, is spreading the lesson to live
with harmony and peace.
Sources: festivals.indobase.com
undo ...back