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.
nconditional 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.
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