Rakhi - The Thread Of Love And A Bond Of Emotions

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Rakhi - The Thread Of Love And A Bond Of Emotions

Raksha Bandhan is on August 21st this year and brothers and sisters start preparing for this festival much in advance. About a month before the commencement of raksha bandhan, you can see fancy and colorful Rakhis all over markets. Ladies start shopping for Rakhi and Rakhi gifts quite early. They shop for new clothes and beautiful Rakhi gifts specially the one that have to be sent to their brothers staying far. Almost every shop, be it sweet shops, garment shops, gift shops, or any other shop, all are flooded with attractive Rakhi gifts to attract people.

The bond of love between a brother and a sister is one of the deepest and noblest of human emotions. Raksha means protection while bandhan means bond. Raksha Bandhan, therefore, signifies The bond of protection. So, by tying the sacred thread of love, a sister promises to protect her brother from all negativity. Rakhi symbolizes protection and care, a sister fosters for her brother. Like a shield, this thread guards the brother from every possible danger in life and in return every brother should promise to take care of their sisters in every moment of her life.

Raksha Bandhan also has a great history too

Though various stories have been passed on indicating the origin of Raksha Bandhan, One of them draws its origin from the Mahabharata epic. Once, Lord Krishna hurt his hand while fighting Shishupala, a man who had committed several dangerous acts. When this happened, Draupadi, the wife of the Pandava brothers, rushed to cover the wound by tearing a piece of her sari and tying it around Lord Krishna's hand. In return for her kind gesture, the Lord asked what she would like. Draupadi replied by saying she only desired His Divine presence at every moment of her life. From that moment on, Lord Krishna told Draupadi that He would be with her whenever she called out for Him. Much later, when the Kauravas tried to disrobe her in their court, helpless, she called out to Lord Krishna to save her. And in return, the Lord gave her a sari that was infinitely long. As a result, the Kauravas were unable to disrobe her and Draupadi was saved from being dishonored.

While the festival typically celebrates the relationship between brother and sister, it has a much deeper spiritual significance. When we take one step on the spiritual path, the Lord takes ninety-nine steps, as it were. At the absolute level, it is only when we give up our pathetic, finite egos that we are able to experience the joy of the Infinite.

According to one more reference from Indian Mythology, the festival started during the time of King Bali, who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. The Lord was so pleased by his devotion that he left his divine abode and came down to Earth to protect and watch over Bali’s kingdom.Vishnu’s consort, goddess Lakshmi, who wished to have her husband back in his heavenly abode, came down and sought refuge in Bali’s kingdom. She tied a sacred thread in Bali’s wrist during the time of Shravan Purnima and when asked about her identity, revealed that she was the goddess herself and told Bali of her desire to be with her husband. The king immediately granted her wish and requested Lord Vishnu to accompany her, signifying the pact between a sister and the brother that she ties a Rakhi to.

Tradition
The festival falls on the Shravan Purnima (full moon day of Shravan month) which comes generally in the month of August. Sisters tie the rakhi on their brother's wrists and pray for their well-being and brothers promise to take care of their sisters. The festival is all about human relationships.Various colorful traditions and customs mark this significant occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Sisters do fasting from the very morning until they offer puja to the Deities. The puja offerings are made to draw the divine blessings of the Almighty upon the brother. Sisters also performs aarti seeking the holy consent. This puja and aarti ritual is followed by the rakhi tying ceremony. These sets of customs and rituals come to end when the brothers acknowledge the love by showering exclusive Rakhi gifts on such caring sisters. After performing all these rituals, the whole family reunion to enjoy and to have fun. Then all of them share the delicious food, tasty sweets, gifts, music and dance. It is a day to remember all the memorable time spent together for those who, for any reason, are far away from their family. Emotions can also be expressed through e-mails, e-cards, rakhi greeting cards and rakhi through Internet. The overflowing emotions of siblings cannot be stopped on this day.

In the contemporary times, dynamism is what is ruling the world. Everything is becoming more and more flexible to cope with the changing times. Same goes for the celebration of Rakhi festivity too. The recent trends in Rakhi gifting has undergone a sea change. As more people moving abroad and settling in distant lands, it is not always possible to celebrate a special occasion together with friends and family. With the help of different online gifting websites, the sisters may fill up the gap by sending beautiful Rakhi to USA or India or any part of the world. As the rituals and customs have undergone a major transformation, similarly the style of celebration is also witnessing constant changes to suit the modern era. People still value their traditions and the basic essence of celebrating the Rakhi festival has not changed, but yes, the celebrations now take place with splendid grandeur.
People spend lavishly on every small thing that is associated with the Rakhi festivity. There is a class in everything that people choose to buy. If you go for shopping during the festive occasion of Rakhi, you'll be amazed to see the fabulous variety available in the styles of Rakhis, ranging from simple mouli and zari rakhi to resham and beaded rakhis. Many days before the arrival of Rakhi festivity, people start making preparations for the special occasion. The shopping malls are lighted for welcoming the visitors and make them feel happy about the coming occasion.