Celebration and festivals
are part and parcel of the Hindu community. They enjoy every bit and offer the
rightful rituals according to the celebration. Every festival comes with its symbolic meaning
in their lives. The Raksha Bandhan festival is one of the most awaited festivals
by thousands of families. Families participate as they uphold their cultural
customs and relationships. The festival
enhances the bond between brothers and sisters in the family and brings
protection to one another.
Raksha
Bandhan.
Raksha Bandhan is a
festival celebrated in Indian states. It is also termed as “Rakhi”. The
festival celebration is for strengthening the bond between sisters and
brothers. This year, the celebration will be on the holy month of Shravan on Monday
19th August 2024. Most states will have public holidays while others
do not.
Astrological
meaning for Raksha Bandhan.
Raksha Bandhan being a
moon festival has great importance to the Astrological sector. During the rainy
season, it is time for God's blessing of good prosperity and wealth. Through
this festival, it makes a great joint of love to the siblings. That is why
August is said to be holy.
The
history of Raksha Bandhan.
The Raksha Bandhan
festival is celebrated all around the world by Hindus. The Hindu mythological
stories take us back to the origin of Raksha Bandhan. The Raksha Bandhan means
“Knot of protection” in Sanskrit which is celebrated by tying of thread. A
sister should tie a colorful thread to the wrist of her brother. The tying of
the thread shows her protection and good intentions to her brother. After the
tying a brother should give the sister an important gift. The Hindu scriptures
give a lot of myths about the festival such as:
·
Devi Manasa, sister to Ganesh visited him
on Raksha Bandhan. He decided to tie Rakhi with a thread on his wrist. By doing
that Ganesh's sons saw that it was a good act to participate in the festival.
However, they had concerns for they had no sister thus, they talked to their
father to give them a sister in which Santoshi Maa came to be. From that day
they all together celebrate Rakhi.
·
Indra had a battle with Demon King Bali.
To protect Indra from the battle, Indra's wife Sachi tied a thread around his
wrist. This shows the great connection of affection in the brothers and sisters
relationship.
·
Tying the holy threads is a gesture of
giving good luck to people whenever going to war. Kunti, (Pandavas mother) used
a thread to tie Rakhi to Abhimanyu (her grandson) before going to a battle.
Draupadi tied Rakhi to Krishna as she went to war.
·
After the defeat of King Bali by Vishnu,
King Bali asked Vishnu to go and live with him in the palace. Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's
wife refused to approve the issue and tied Rakhi to King Bali a sign of the two
becoming brothers. Her wish was granted and Vishnu came back home.
·
Draupadi helped Krishna when his finger
got injured in the battle. He cut a piece of cloth from a saree to cover his
would. Due to this, Krishna came for assistance during Draupadi`s critical
time.
Importance
of Raksha Bandhan.
The Raksha Bandhan is a
public holiday in the following states:
o
Gujarat.
o
Rajasthan.
o
Uttar Pradesh.
o
Haryana.
o
Madhya Pradesh.
The ceremony is such of
great importance as it:
§ Celebrates
relationship behold brother and sister e.g. neighbors and friends.
§ It
strengthens the love between sisters and brothers.
§ It
improves the cultural concept of Hindus as people gather together as a family.
§ It
is a symbol of protection between a brother and a sister.
§ To
the farming community, the celebrations help bring adequate water from the rain
giving farmers a good harvest.
§ To
the fishing community, they are happy during the moon season for it affects the
sea water and fish positively.
Rakhi is a celebration of change.
When
it is monsoon (rainy season) it brings a change of new fertilities. The day is
said to be Shravan Purnima day or Upakaram celebrated by the Brahmin community
living in:
v Kerala.
v Tamil
Nadu.
v Orissa.
v Andhra
Pradesh.
Rakhi Purnima.
Rakhi
Purnima is termed as "Beginning of a new life" which is highly
celebrated in Gujarat. It removes the nature negative aspects symbolizing new
life.
Rituals in Raksha Bandhan.
The
rituals done during Raksha Bandhan are as mentioned below:
Ø Pooja Vidhi.
It is a rite celebrated
during the Rakhi festival which involves, Rice, a tiny Pooja thali (Filled with
oil light), sweets, and roli. Before the start of Pooja Vidhi, prepare Rakhi.
Sisters have to perform an Aarti before their brothers. They should wave their
lamps around as they dot their foreheads with roli after which they pray for
their brother's blessings, success, and health. Then they tie Rakhi around the
wrist. Brothers on the other side should give their sisters gifts to show love
and protection from any harm. By doing this it builds a strong bond of
spiritual character.
Timings
of Raksha Bandhan.
The table below indicates
the timings of the Raksha Bandhan festival on Monday 19th August
2024:
|
Event |
Time |
Duration. |
|
Raksha
Bandhan thread ceremony time. |
11:00
am to 09:02 pm. |
10
hours 2 minutes |
|
Aparahna
time Raksha Bandhan Muhurat. |
01:49
pm to 04:14 pm |
2
hours 25 minutes. |
|
Pradosh
time Raksha Bandhan Muhurat. |
06:38
pm to 09:02 |
2
hours 23 minutes |
|
Bhadra
End Time |
11:00
am. |
|
|
Bhadra
Punchha |
07:21
am to 08:23 am |
|
|
Bhadra
Mukha |
08:23
am to 10:07 am |
|
|
Purnima
Tithi begins |
12:34
am, August 19th, 2024. |
|
|
Purnima
Tithi Ends. |
09:25
pm, August 19th, 2024. |
|
|
|
|
|
Celebrating
Raksha Bandhan across India.
Indian different
societies celebrate Raksha Bandhan in different ways. Some sisters tie a thread
around their brother's wrist to show the bond connection as brothers present
gifts to their sisters. In the societies like Marwari and Rajastshani, involves
tying a "Lumba Rakhi" to the bangle of one's brother’s spouse. This shows
that a brother's partner is appreciated by the sister-in-law in matrimony which
is the custom of getting followers in India.
FAQs.
1. When will Raksha Bandhan be in 2024?
The Raksha Bandhan will
be celebrated on 19th August this year 2024.
2. What is Raksha Bandhan festival?
Raksha Bandhan festival
is a celebration between brothers and sisters strengthening the relationship
bond.
Comments
Post a Comment