Raksha Bandhan

August 12 is celebrated by Hindus in North India as Raksha Bandhan. (Nowadays, with greeting card manufacturers working hard to commercialise every day of the year, it may be moving into the South as well.) On Raksha Bandhan, sisters honour their brothers and honorary brothers, and remind them of their responsibility to protect their sisters:

The annual "festival" of Raksha Bandhan ... is marked by a very simple ceremony in which a woman ties a rakhi - which may be a colorful thread, a simple bracelet, or a decorative string - around the wrist of her brother(s). The word "raksha" signifies protection, and "bandhan" is an association signifying an enduring sort of bond; and so, when a woman ties a rakhi around the wrist of her brother, she signifies her loving attachment to him. He, likewise, recognizes the special bonds between them, and by extending his wrist forward, he in fact extends the hand of his protection over her.

The thread-tying ceremony is sometimes preceded by the woman conducting aarti before her brother, so that the blessings of God may be showered upon him, and this is to the accompaniment of her enunciation or chanting of a mantra ...

After the conclusion of the ceremony, she places a sweet in his mouth, and he might return the gesture. The brother bestows a small gift upon his sister, generally in the form of a small sum of money, such as Rupees 51, 101, 251, or 501.(more)

More on Raksha bandhan here.

Send an e-card to your brother on Raksha bandhan here, here or here.

Make your own rakhi.