The Importance and Value of Rakhi

One of the most popular festivals of the country is Rakshabandhan. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm and with much joy all over the nation. The festival is celebrated in honor of the special and beautiful relationship between brothers and sisters. On the day of the festival it is the custom of the sisters to tie a ritual thread known as rakhi around the wrists of their brothers. The rakhi is a symbolism of the lifetime bond between them. It is believed that the rakhi is so powerful and the ties it bounds are unbreakable. A man tied by a rakhi naturally assumes the role of a real brother for the woman who tied it and he must also protect her at all costs.

In the annals of Indian history we find that the Emperor Humayun rushed to the aid of Rani Karnawati after she sent a rakhi to him. The Indian king Porus protected Alexander the great in the battlefield after Alexander’s wife tied a rakhi on his wrists.

The custom of rakhi is considered to be of great importance in Indian traditions. Even when they can’t be there in person for the festival, people always send rakhi and gifts to their siblings through postal and courier services. Nowadays with the advent of internet gifts delivery business people can also buy gifts for rakhi online and send them to their siblings in distant places. Even the rakhi thread which was originally a simple home- woven thread can also be online found in its many modern formats. And sisters buy fancy Rakhi online which are available in many different designs.

Secular Traditions of Indian Festivals

In India, people celebrate many traditional festivals and most of them are accompanied by religious rites and other traditions. The festivals are socio-religious in content but even when worship is performed according to the specific religious norms, participation in most of the festivals is not restricted to a particular community. Generally members of all the communities participate in the festivities, and the festivals are symbolic of the unity and diversity of Indian cultures.

Raksha Bandhan is one such festival of the country which has transgressed religious and cultural barriers. Although the festival is of Hindu origin, people from all communities whether they are Muslims, Sikhs, Jains or Christians participate in the festival with the same fervor and enthusiasm. The festival is a celebration of the unique relationship between brothers and sisters. On the day of the festival it is the custom for girls to tie a ritual thread around the wrists of their brothers. The thread is popularly known as rakhi and it symbolizes the binding of the siblings into a relationship for life. When a girl ties a rakhi on the wrists of any male it becomes his natural duty to protect her from all harm at all times. So the brothers or the males takes a vow of safeguarding their sisters and also present them with gifts in return for the rakhis.

The rakhi tradition is inherent in Indian culture and people consider it of great importance that they send rakhi and gifts for their siblings even at faraway places. These days in the modern age of the internet people buy their Raksha Bandhan gifts online and have them delivered to a destination of their choice. Not only have some of the old traditions changed but the rakhi thread itself which was originally a home-woven simple thread, are now available in fancy designs.  And the fancy rakhi threads are not sold only in traditional shops and marketplaces but people also buy fancy rakhi online from internet gift stores.

The changing faces of Rakshabandhan

Changes are inevitable with time and nothing remains the same forever. Even traditional festivals go through many changes with the onset of time. The festival of Rakshabandhan too has undergone significant changes in traditions. Some of the major changes are:

1) Fancy Rakhis: The traditional rakhi thread with its simplistic designs have been taken over by fancy or designer rakhis. A colorful rakhi embellished with radiant stones are one of the most popular fancy rakhi designs.

2) Inclusion of other family members in the rituals: Traditionally the rakhi ritual was confined to sisters and brothers only. But these days, sisters also tie rakhis on the wrists of their brother’s wives.

3) Lumba or Bhabhi Rakhis: The inclusion of sisters in law in the ceremonies has given rise to the lumba. And unlike rakhis they are not worn on the wrists but hooked on to a bangle instead. Lumbas are usually conical in shape with a loop tied to its highest point.

4) Pair of Rakhis: Nowadays people present rakhis in sets for both the brother and his wife. The set of rakhis are usually a rakhi and a lumba with similar features.

5) Rakhi gifts for brother: Traditionally it was only the brother who used to present the rakhi return gifts but now sisters too present rakhi gifts for their brothers.

6) Online rakhi shopping: Nowadays most people don’t go to traditional shops anymore as they prefer to shop for Rakshabandhan gifts online. Online shopping is much more convenient as one doesn’t have to throng busy marketplaces and instead they can have the rakhi gifts delivered at their doorsteps.