Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is a festival celebrating the brother-sister relationship. The festival is observed throughout India irrespective of caste and creed, and it celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters. The festival usually falls in August, on the full moon day of the lunar month Sravana (on Sravana Poornima) which coincides with Upa Karma or Avani Avittam of South Indians. Raksha Bandhan popularly celebrates all brother-sister relationships, of men and women who are biologically related or unrelated. On this day a sister ties a sacred thread called Rakhi, on her brother’s wrist, symbolizing her love and prayers for him, and the brother, in turn, vows to protect her lifelong. The term Raksha Bandhan means ‘knot of protection’ in Sanskrit and the festival is also called Rakhi Purnima or simply Rakhi. The festival is also observed by Jains and Sikhs, and is a significant ritual of love and harmony, bringing together men and women across the borders of ethnicity, religion, nation, etc.

Raksha Bandhan on Thursday, August 15, 2019