Raksha Bandhan

Raksha means protection and bandhan a tie. Old stories link the protective thread to more than siblings: in one, Indrani tied an amulet on the wrist of her husband Indra before his battle with the demons. The best-loved story tells that when Krishna cut his finger, Draupadi tore a strip from her sari to bind it, and Krishna later repaid her by protecting her when the Kauravas tried to strip her in the assembly hall. A later tale, often retold but of doubtful history, says the widowed Rani Karnavati of Mewar sent a rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun asking for help.

In the morning the sister prepares a tray with the rakhi, a lamp, rice, red powder and sweets. She marks her brother’s forehead with a tilak, ties the thread on his right wrist, waves the lamp before him and feeds him a sweet. He gives her money or a gift and a promise of protection. Rakhis range from a simple red and gold thread to elaborate rosettes of silk, beads and silver, and are sent by post to brothers far away.

Families gather for a festive meal, and married women often visit their parents’ home for the day.

Raksha Bandhan is kept across northern and western India, in Nepal and wherever families of Indian origin live, with rakhis sold in markets weeks before. In India it has also become a public occasion: women tie rakhis to soldiers at the borders, and politicians and schools mark it as a festival of goodwill.