P.S: Special thanks for my loveliest sister Pujitha for sharing these articles..!
Rakhi: The Thread of Love
In India, festivals are the celebration of togetherness, of being one of the family. Raksha Bandhan is one such festival that is all about affection, fraternity and sublime sentiments. It is also known as Raksha Bandhan which means a 'bond of protection'. This is an occasion to flourish love, care, affection and sacred feeling of brotherhood.
Not a single festival in India is complete without the typical Indian festivities, the gatherings, celebrations, exchange of sweets and gifts, lots of noise, singing and dancing. Raksha Bandhan is a regional celebration to celebrate the sacred relation between brothers and sisters. Primarily, this festival belongs to north and western region of India but soon the world has started celebrating this festival with the same verse and spirit. Rakhi has become an integral part of those customs.
An insight of Rakhi Rituals
On the day of Rakhi, sisters prepares the pooja thali with diya, roli, chawal, rakhi thread and sweets. The ritual begins with a prayer in front of God, then the sister ties Rakhi to her brother and wishes for his happiness and well-being. In turn, the brother acknowledge the love with a promise to stand by his sister through all the good and bad times.
Sisters tie Rakhi on the wrist of their brothers amid chanting of mantras, put roli and rice on his forehead and pray for his well-being. She bestows him with gifts and blessings. In turn, brothers also wish her a good life and pledges to take care of her. He gives her a return gift. The gift symbolizes the physical acceptance of her love, reminder of their togetherness and his pledge. The legends and the reference in history repeated, the significance of the festival is emphasized.
Unconditional Bond of Love
Raksha bandhan has been celebrated in the same way with the same traditions for many years. Only the means have changed with the changing lifestyle to make the celebration more elaborate and lively. This day has an inherent power that pulls the siblings together. The increasing distances evoke the desire to be together even more. All brothers and sisters try to reach out to each other on this auspicious day. The joyous meeting, the rare family get-together, that erstwhile feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood calls for a massive celebration.
For everyone, it is an opportunity to reunion and celebrate. People also share tasty dishes, wonderful sweets and exchange gifts. It is a time to share their past experiences also. For those who are not able to meet each other, rakhi cards and e-rakhis and rakhis through mails perform the part of communicating the rakhi messages. Hand made rakhis and self-made rakhi cards are just representation of the personal feelings of the siblings.
Every year brothers and sisters all over India celebrate Raksha Bandhan. The occasion is meant to sanctify and reaffirm the relationship
that they share. The sisters will tie a colored thread, known as a rakhi, on the right hand of the brother to let him know that she appreciates and values the care and love that he provides her with. The ceremony includes the sister tying a rakhi on her brother’s hand and saying a short prayer on his behalf. Once the prayers are done the brother usually gives the sister a gift at the end of the ceremony.
The whole sentiment of the meaning of Raksha Bandhan can be seen as being very prevalent throughout Indian history. The whole tradition of tying the rakhi as a symbol is believed to have been started by the Hindu god Indra who had a similar string tied on his wrist by his wife when he lost his fight with Vritra. It is said that she tied the thread on his wrist to bestow upon him, the power he needed to defeat Vritra.
Apart from this there are other mentions of the role played by the sentiment of rakhi in Indian history. There is the record of lord Krishna and Draupadi during the Mahabharata, when Draupadi used a strip of cloth from her sari to stem the flow of blood from Krishna finger. This gesture had such a profound influence on Lord Krishna that he dedicated the next 25 years to Draupadi.
There are also accounts of Alexander the Great, the king of Greece, having married an Indian woman to improve relations with the kingdoms in Asia. He was later involved in war with the king Porus who was about to deal the final blow and end Alexander when he saw the rakhi Alexander’s wife had sent him while requesting him not to harm her husband. In keeping with a sacred Indian tradition, Porus stayed his blow and reframed from, personally, becoming Alexander’s executioner.
Earlier the ‘standard operating procedure’ was that the sister would tie the rakhi and then the brother would give her gift. The tradition has changed a bit now; these days, both the brother and the sister give gifts to each other. If you are wondering what to gift you brother or sister on this occasion then the best thing to do would be to look back at the experiences you have had with your brother or sister and you are bound to find all the clues that you are look for. if you still are not able to find what you want then you can also visit rakhi gift sites that provide lots of advice and samples.
Keep rocking...!
Regards,
Sriram Mallik.
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