Rakshabandhan 2024: Celebration of Sacred Bond Between Brother & Sister, Spreading Beyond Blood Relations

Rakshabandhan, a festival cherishing the bond between a brother and sister, will be celebrated across the country on Monday.

Rakshabandhan, which literally means a bond of protection, is a traditional festival celebrated by Hindus in reverence of the special bond between a brother and sister. It is celebrated on the last day of Shravana in the Hindu lunar calendar. As a ritual, sisters tie rakhi, a sacred thread, on the wrists of their brothers as a symbolic wish for their safety and in return the brother promises to protect her from any endangerment. With passing time, the sacred thread has also evolved with new designs available for people according their choice.

Rakshabandhan is not only celebrated by people who share the pious relation of brother and sister by blood but by those who share the relocation from heart. The celebration which was earlier only restricted within a family has now become a social celebration with many organisations hosting celebration to encourage a similar bond among their members. Many people celebrate this festival with the police and military personnel as a gesture to protect them, who protect them throughout the year through their professional duty.

Although a lot of people celebrate the ritual of tying rakhi according to auspicious time but astrologers suggest that since Rakshabandhan is a positive festival which celebrates the relation of love share by a brother and sister, the entire day is believed to be auspicious for the celebration.

K Soman, an astrologer, said, “Rakshabandhan is such a festival for which we do not need to look for Bhadra dosh since the entire day is auspicious. In Maharashtra specially, auspicious time is not checked to tie rakhis. Rakshabandhan and Bhaiduj are two such festivals which are celebrated to acknowledge the pure and beautiful relation between a brother and sister. Therefore shubh muhurt is not required for this festival.”

Simran Chandani, a resident of Tilak Nagar, said, “Although as siblings, we fight throughout the year like enemies, Rakshabandhan gives us the opportunity to express how much we love each other. It’s been an annual ritual that once I tie rakhi to my brother, he takes me out for lunch which is usually followed by watching a movie or a shopping spree.”

Parika Shah, who lives in Dadar, said, “Rakshabandhan has become a more important festival after my marriage as I specially visit my maternal home to celebrate the festival with my brother and parents. Earlier, it used to be a very simple festivity in our household but post marriage, it has become an added reason to visit my family and spend time with them.”

Vignesh Singh, a resident of Juhu, said, “Although brothers are supposed to give gifts to their sisters in return of the rakhi, I am the one who has always been receiving rakhi gifts as my sister is elder to me. This changed since I received my first salary and now we both exchange gifts on Rakshabandhan. Moreover, I also celebrate this festival with a few female friends with whom I share a similar relation of a sister.”