Raksha Bandhan 2022: Traditions and Customs

Raksha Bandhan 2022: Traditions and Customs

Raksha Bandhan is an occasion to celebrate the sacred bond of love and affection between siblings with lots of verve. Also known as Raksha Bandhan across the world, this festival is primarily a north Indian festival that is celebrated all brothers and sisters to express their deep emotions, love and affection.

Generally, the fancy Rakhis and delicious sweets are prepared long before the Shravana Purnima. According to the Indian tradition, the family members get ready for the rituals early in the morning. They take a bath to purify mind and body before starting any preparations. Sisters prepare the puja thali which consists of roli, tilak, Rakhi threads, rice grains, aggarbattis (incense sticks), diyas and sweets. After offering the rituals to the deities of the family, the sister perform aarti of their brothers and ties Rakhi on their wrist. Then, they put kumkum powder on the forehead of their brother and offer sweets. All these rituals take place amid the chanting of the following mantras:

Suraj shakhan chhodian, Mooli chhodia beej

Behen ne rakhi bandhi / Bhai tu chir jug jee,

After her prayer for a long life for her brother, she says that she is tie the ever-protective Raksha to her brother's wrist and chants:

Yena baddho Balee raajaa daanavendro mahaabalah

tena twaam anubadhnaami rakshe maa chala maa chala

In return, brothers pampers and blesses the sisters and promises to protect her from all the evils of this world. He also present a token of his love and affection as a Rakhi gift. The rituals performed on Raksha Bandhan may differ from place to place but they carry the same aura throughout the globe.