* Raksha Bandhan / Raakhi Poornima : A Beautiful Indian Festival For Celebrating Love Between Brothers and Sisters
In India, the festival that reinforces the bond between a brother and sister is Raksha Bandhan. The name Raksha Bandhan means "the bond of protection". This ancient Hindu festival is also known as Rakhi Purnima. It is celebrated on the full moon of the Hindu month 'Shravana'.
With every passing day, the auspicious festival of Raksha Bandhan 2018 on Sunday, 26 August is fast approaching, making it an ideal time for online Rakhi shops in India, US, Germany UK Canada and everywhere around the globe to release the mind boggling range of Rakhi threads and Rakhi Gifts online. This is a great way to empower the highly creative rural artisans & craftsmen of India, by generating livelihood for them, by the sale of these Rakhis in a real big way, through online & offline stores, during such vibrant Hindu festivals. May be this is the reason why our ancient Indian sages have created so many joyous festivals for us fun-loving Indians, non-stop throughout the year. So wise & so thoughtful, so that there's economic freedom & prosperity everywhere, however insignificant a profession may outwardly look.
A brief write-up on Raksha Bandhan / Raakhi Poornima underneath the following pictures
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
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| Raksha Bandhan : Click Here For Source Of Image |
Raksha Bandhan is also known as Raakhi Purnima or simply Rakhi in many parts of India.
It is a Hindu Festival which celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters. The festival is also popularly observed to celebrate any brother-sister relationship between boys and girls, between men and women who are neither relatives nor biologically related.
The festival is celebrated by many Non-Hindu communities as well in India, as a secular festival.
On Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie a Sacred Thread / Raakhi on their brother's wrist. This symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect his sister come what may. The festival falls on the full moon day (पूर्णिमा ) (Shraavan Poornima श्रावण पूर्णिमा ) of the Shraavan Month of the Hindu calendar.
Raksha Bandhan as a religious festival focuses on performing an Aarti and saying the prayers prior to tying Raakhi / Sacred Thread. The prayers draw inspirations from the Hindu Scriptures. The other religious feature is the application of the Tilak on the forehead of the person wearing the Raakhi.
Raksha Bandhan in Indian Classical Language Sanskrit literally means "The Knot of Protection". The word Raksha means protection, while Bandhan is the word for knot. It is an ancient Hindu Festival that ritually celebrates the love and duty between brothers and their sisters. The sister performs a Raakhi ceremony, then prays to express her love and her good wishes for the well being of her brother. In return, the brother ritually pledges to protect and take care of his sister under all circumstances. Raksha Bandhan is one of the several occasions in which family ties are affirmed in India. The other occasions are Karva Chauth, Bhaai Dooj etc.
The festival is also an occasion to celebrate brother-sister like family ties between cousins or distant family members, and sometimes even between biologically unrelated men and women. To many, the festival transcends biological family, brings together men and women across various religions, diverse ethnic groups and ritually emphasizes harmony and immense love. It is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Śrāvaṇa, and typically falls in the month of August every year.
Days or weeks before Raksha Bandhan, women folks shop for Raakhi, the ceremonial thread to tie around their brother's wrist. Some women make their own Raakhi. A Raakhi may be a simple thread, woven and colourful, or a it may be an intricate thread with beautiful amulets and complex decorations on top of it. Sometimes, a Raakhi may even be a fancy wrist watch or men's wrist accessory in the form of bracelet or jewelery. Raakhi in the form of a simple colourful woven thread is most common. Typically the brother(s) too shop for gifts for their sisters, ahead of Raksha Bandhan. The gift from the brother can be a simple thoughtful token of love or may be more elaborate and grand.
On the morning of Raksha Bandhan, the brothers and sisters get together, often in nice dress in the presence of surviving parents, grandparents and other family members. If the sister and brother are geographically separated, the sister may mail the Rakhi ahead of the Raksha Bandhan day, along with a Greeting Card or Letter wishing her brother well. The ritual typically begins in front of a Lighted Oil Lamp (Diya) , which signifies Hindu Fire-Deity ( Agni).
Once the Rakhi has been tied, the sister says a prayer for the well being, good health, prosperity and happiness of her brother. This ritual involves an Aarti, where a tray with lighted lamp is ritually rotated around the brother's face, along with the prayer and well wishes.
The prayer is a self composed note, or one of the many published Raakhi poems and proses. One of the earliest examples of a Raakhi prayer is found in Chapter V of Vishnu Purana; it is the prayer that Yashoda says while tying a Raksha Bandhan amulet on Krishna's wrist.
It is a Hindu Festival which celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters. The festival is also popularly observed to celebrate any brother-sister relationship between boys and girls, between men and women who are neither relatives nor biologically related.
The festival is celebrated by many Non-Hindu communities as well in India, as a secular festival.
On Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie a Sacred Thread / Raakhi on their brother's wrist. This symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect his sister come what may. The festival falls on the full moon day (पूर्णिमा ) (Shraavan Poornima श्रावण पूर्णिमा ) of the Shraavan Month of the Hindu calendar.
Raksha Bandhan as a religious festival focuses on performing an Aarti and saying the prayers prior to tying Raakhi / Sacred Thread. The prayers draw inspirations from the Hindu Scriptures. The other religious feature is the application of the Tilak on the forehead of the person wearing the Raakhi.
Raksha Bandhan in Indian Classical Language Sanskrit literally means "The Knot of Protection". The word Raksha means protection, while Bandhan is the word for knot. It is an ancient Hindu Festival that ritually celebrates the love and duty between brothers and their sisters. The sister performs a Raakhi ceremony, then prays to express her love and her good wishes for the well being of her brother. In return, the brother ritually pledges to protect and take care of his sister under all circumstances. Raksha Bandhan is one of the several occasions in which family ties are affirmed in India. The other occasions are Karva Chauth, Bhaai Dooj etc.
The festival is also an occasion to celebrate brother-sister like family ties between cousins or distant family members, and sometimes even between biologically unrelated men and women. To many, the festival transcends biological family, brings together men and women across various religions, diverse ethnic groups and ritually emphasizes harmony and immense love. It is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Śrāvaṇa, and typically falls in the month of August every year.
Days or weeks before Raksha Bandhan, women folks shop for Raakhi, the ceremonial thread to tie around their brother's wrist. Some women make their own Raakhi. A Raakhi may be a simple thread, woven and colourful, or a it may be an intricate thread with beautiful amulets and complex decorations on top of it. Sometimes, a Raakhi may even be a fancy wrist watch or men's wrist accessory in the form of bracelet or jewelery. Raakhi in the form of a simple colourful woven thread is most common. Typically the brother(s) too shop for gifts for their sisters, ahead of Raksha Bandhan. The gift from the brother can be a simple thoughtful token of love or may be more elaborate and grand.
On the morning of Raksha Bandhan, the brothers and sisters get together, often in nice dress in the presence of surviving parents, grandparents and other family members. If the sister and brother are geographically separated, the sister may mail the Rakhi ahead of the Raksha Bandhan day, along with a Greeting Card or Letter wishing her brother well. The ritual typically begins in front of a Lighted Oil Lamp (Diya) , which signifies Hindu Fire-Deity ( Agni).
Once the Rakhi has been tied, the sister says a prayer for the well being, good health, prosperity and happiness of her brother. This ritual involves an Aarti, where a tray with lighted lamp is ritually rotated around the brother's face, along with the prayer and well wishes.
The prayer is a self composed note, or one of the many published Raakhi poems and proses. One of the earliest examples of a Raakhi prayer is found in Chapter V of Vishnu Purana; it is the prayer that Yashoda says while tying a Raksha Bandhan amulet on Krishna's wrist.
Disclaimer : The text contents througout this blog are based on well-researched aggregated and curated content from innumerable sources. But mostly and most importantly, these contents are based on my own personal experience of untiringly exploring the glorious cultural heritage India, and the ageless timeless ethnic arts, crafts, textiles, temples etc of the whole of India, during my stay across the length and breadth of this vast expansive Indian subcontinent for more than 5 decades of my long adventurous life. All images featured in this Blog-post, are the property of their respective owners. Our deepest sense of gratitude to all of them for making this gigantic project a reality. If you see your picture anywhere in this Blog and don't want it here, send us a message with the details and the link to the picture, and we will remove it right away. But at the outset, I just want to let my dearest readers know, that the noble purpose of this Blog, is to promote 'The Glorious Cultural Heritage of India' worldwide, to every nook & corner of the planet, and I would immensely love to see every single one of us, of Indian origin, passionately participating in this Mega-Project. I am right now in the process of adding the web-links to the sources of the innumerable images in this Blog. Till the work reaches completion, I would request the readers to use 'Google Image Search' to trace the source / multiple sources of these images on the web. The rive expressed my deepest gratitude to all the text sources on the 'World-Wide-Web', that have hugely contributed and added to my existing database of knowledge on this subject, by inserting appropriate hyperlinks throughout this blog, to connect my ardent readers from across the globe, to these rich sources of information on India's heritage. So Long, Mala Chandrashekhar )
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