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Fairs
& Festivals ::
Hindu
Festival
Raksha
Bandhan Raksha
Bhandan is celebrated on the full-moon day in the month of Shravan
(July-August). The festival of Raksha Bandhan symbolizes love affection and
feeling of brotherhood.
“Raksha” means protection, and “Bandhan”
means bond, therefore, when a sister ties a Rakhi around the wrist of her
brother, she signifies her loving attachment to him. The brother extends his
wrist forward signifying an extending hand of protection. Raksha Bandhan is
also known as Rakhi.
According to one legend, when the demon King
Bali’s devotion won over Lord Vishnu, he was compelled to leave his
abode to stay in Bali’s Kingdom. When Lord Vishnu did not return, the
distressed Goddess Lakshmi arrived in Sutal on Shravan Poornima. She
accepted King Bali as her brother by tying a Rakhi on him.
In
return Bali asked her to request a wish. Goddess Lakshmi wished for Lord
Vishnu’s return to Vaikunth. Bali granted her the wish. It is thus
believed that the festival of Rakhi commenced from the day when Goddess
Lakshmi tied the Rakhi on King Bali.
According to another legend,
the Gods decided to fight the demons again after they lost a war against the
demons. Even Lord Indra lost the battle against the demons and was
depressed. On this occasion, Indra’s wife took a thread, charged it
with sacred verses or Mantras and tied it on his wrist, after telling him
the story of Raksha Bandhan. Indra then attained victory against the demons.
Raksha
Bandhan holds special significance for the Hindus. Girls make it a point to
bring the best possible rakhis for their brothers. They busy themselves with
the preparation of traditional sweets and dishes. After an early bath and
worshipping God, the sister offers “aarti” to her brother and ties
the sacred thread on his wrist. The sister adorns her brother’s
forehead with the traditional tikli (vermilion). The brother gives his
sister a gift after she ties the rakhi. The gift is symbolic of the brother’s
blessings to his sister.
The Rakhi
Rakhi is a sacred
thread made out of traditional silk thread or any other material. To
beautify the rakhi some design is weaved on the thread. Nowadays Rakhis are
decorated with soft silky threads of various colours, and also with
ornaments, pictures, gold and silver threads etc.
Preparations for
the festival begin well in advance. The markets wear a festive look with the
colourful, ornate and dazzling 'Rakhis' hanging loose or put on display for
sale in shops that specially come up for this occasion.
Every year
new designs of rakhis can be seen in the shops. They come with small painted
mirrors and beads or made of spices like cardamom and clove or grains of
rice, corn, etc, adding more variety to the traditional rakhi. The myriad
range of rakhis is breathtaking.
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