Steeped in tradition, yet relevant: Why India celebrates Raksha Bandhan

It is that time of the year when colourful rakhee kiosks dot local bazaars across the country, halwais and bakers are on their toes, rustling up popular recipes, homes are filled with laughter and merrymaking and the kitchen is always busy. Raksha Bandhan, the festival celebrating the bond between a brother and a sister, is here. And the good news is that it can be celebrated both on August 30 and August 31 this year.

On this day, sisters tie a thread or bracelet called rakhee around the wrists of their brothers and perform their aarti, put tika on their foreheads, and wrap it up by feeding them the choicest of sweets. The thread symbolises a sister’s wish for her brother’s well-being and long life. As the name Raksha Bandhan (bond of protection) suggests, brothers vow to protect sisters in return and give them gifts as a gesture of their love.

Rooted in mythology

Like every Hindu festival, Raksha Bandhan too has its roots in mythology. Early references to the ritual can be found in the Puranas. In Chapter 137 of the Uttara Parva of Bhavishya Purana, Lord Krishna tells King Yudhisththira to solemnise the ritual of getting a raksha (protection) tied to his right wrist by the royal priest on the full moon day of Shravana.

Another legend says that when Lord Krishna injured his finger during a fight with King Shishupal, Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, tied a piece of cloth on his bleeding finger. Krishna, who referred to Draupadi as sakhi (friend) promised her his protection in return.

History too is strewn with anecdotes where queens have sent rakhees to enemy kings, seeking their friendship and protection in return.

Legend has it that Karnavati, the widowed queen of Chittor sent a rakhee to Mughal emperor Humayun when her kingdom was under siege, and she realised she couldn’t win the battle. It is said Humayun was so moved by the gesture that he ordered his troops to retreat.

While various communities later moulded the ritual in tune with their local traditions, anthropologists say, in rural India, Raksha Bandhan began being celebrated to preserve the natal cord between a woman, who marries out of her clan and village, with her brother (or her maternal home), as custom prevented parents to visit a girl’s house in her matrimonial home. On Raksha Bandhan day, women travelled to their maternal homes to tie rakhee on their brothers’ wrist. Brothers often escorted them back to their marital homes. Anthropologist Leo Coleman says the ritual ensured that the woman, through her brother, had access to her parental home, either during crisis or childbirth, even after marriage.

Not just for brothers!

While 21st century India has moved past the dogmas of patriarchal traditions, tying rakhee is no more limited to brothers alone. It is a heart-warming gesture to see the festival being celebrated irrespective of gender and being symbolic of mutual care and security.

Ads too have been instrumental in sending across the message that the receiver of the rakhee need not be necessarily a brother, but anyone who offers you selfless service, unconditional love and protection – it can be the Army jawan who protects the country from the enemy, the security guard who ensures that you sleep safe in your house, your pet poodle who loves you unconditionally or your elder sister who has not been less than a big brother.

Some Marwadi and Rajasthani communities, in fact, have a tradition of women tying rakhees to their sister-in-law (brother’s wife) in what is called Lumba Rakhee. Reports say the tradition has seen a massive response from women from these communities over the past decade with many of them preferring to tie rakhees on their sisters-in-law along with brothers.

So is Rakhee on Aug 30 or 31?

It can be celebrated on both dates this year.

The festival is typically celebrated on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Sravana, which coincides with the July or August month of the Gregorian calendar.

However, this year, a confusion has prevailed over the date of Raksha Bandhan with people wondering if to celebrate the festival on August 30 or August 31, as the full moon day changes every year because the lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon.

Raksha Bandhan as per the Drik Panchang falls on August 30, but can also be celebrated on August 31. This is because the Poornima tithi starts at 10.58 am on August 30 and continues till 7.05 am on August 31. However, Bhadra Kaal (inauspicious moment), will also happen along with the Poornima tithi and end at 9.01 pm on August 30. This means the Poonima tithi will continue from 9.01 pm and the festival can be celebrated from 9.01 pm on August 30 to 7.05 am of August 31.

Raksha Bandhan in 2023

Wednesday morning saw schoolgirls in Delhi tie rakhees to Prime Minister Narendra Modi while their counterparts across the country performed the ritual with the respective chief ministers of states.

Sharing his experience of celebrating Raksha Bandhan with school children in Delhi, Modi posted on X, “Had a very special Raksha Bandhan celebration at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. My young friends and I talked about so many subjects. They shared their joy on Chandrayaan-3 and India’s strides in space. They also recited wonderful poetry.”

Schoolgirls in Jammu and Kashmir also tied rakhees to security personnel posted at India’s frontiers as a mark of their gratitude for protecting the country against enemies.

In a gesture that shows that love transcends religious barriers, Muslim women on Tuesday (August 29) were seen making rakhees for soldiers under the ‘Thanks Jawan’ campaign in Boniya in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

In Bihar’s Patna, Vijeta, a Sikki artist prepared a Chandrayaan rakhee to pay tribute to the scientists of ISRO who made India’s Moon-landing mission successful.

Vijeta’s craft is a rakhee version of the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.

“As India’s spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 successfully made a soft landing on the moon, I wanted to pay tribute to our scientists with my work. I came up with the idea of Chandrayaan-3 rakhee and worked on it for days. I just wanted to express my happiness about India’s moon mission in an artistic way,” she was quoted as saying.