It’s Raksha Bandhan time again!
For those celebrating it seems like a great chance to make brothers fork out chocolates and money in exchange for a colourful thread from their sister, but there is so much more to this festival than that.
The love between bothers and sisters is celebrated by exchanging money, sweets, gifts and vibrant bracelets. Confused? Well read on to find out everything about Raksha Bandhan.
What’s it all about?
Raksha Bandhan is a special festival celebrated around the world by Hindus and Sikhs to mark the love between brothers and sisters.
Raksha means protection, and Bandan means to tie, so the thread that a sister ties on her brother’s wrist is symbolic of her affection and his commitment to protect her from harm. .
So it doesn’t matter if your brother has spent the last twelve months setting up booby traps around the house and tripping you up, you still have to tie a thread on his wrist as a sign of his duty to protect you.
What are the origins?
In Hinduism it is believed that Lord Krishna was hurting during a war and whilst his wrist bled Draupathi tied a strip of cloth from her sari to stop the bleeding. At this point Lord Krishna declared himself bound to her because of her sisterly affection towards him.
In history the oldest reference dates back to 326 BC when Alexander the Great invaded the Indian subcontinent and was challenged by King Poros. Alexander’s wife approached King Poros with a thread in order to ensure her husband’s safety, and by accepting her as his sister, meant that King Porous would not hurt Alexander.
What actually happens?
Families get together, dress in their snazziest outfits and watch on as sisters tie colourful threads around their brother’s wrists. After it has been tied sweets are shared and the brother hands over gifts and money to his sister.
An excellent chance to get payback on your annoying brother, by making him pledge to protect you in front of everyone and give you money as well. Winning.
Who can get involved?
Anyone can get involved, and tie a thread on their wrist of their brother, male cousin and other male relatives.
The festival also celebrates non-romantic love between a male and female, so fellas avoid your crush on this day if you don’t want your friend zone status to be confirmed.
When does it happen?
There is no set date, and each year it occurs on the day of the full moon day during the Hindu Shravan year. This year it’s on August 29.
Where can I buy the threads from?
You can either make your own (think back to friendship bracelets in school) or you can choose from a wide range online, or pop down to your nearest independent South Asian grocery or clothes store.
And how do I pronounce it?
It’s not the easiest thing to pronounce so try breaking it down for guaranteed success: Rak-Sha Band-Han. Simples.
It’s also known as Rakhi, which you can pronounce like ‘khaki’ with an R instead.
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