The festival of Rakhi serves as a platform to celebrate the loving relationship between brother and sister through a cheerful way. This ceremony is popular as Raksha Bandhan across India. During this occasion, a sister prays for her brother's well being by tying a thread on his wrist. On the other hand, the brother makes promise to protect his sister from any impending danger. They celebrate the day by praying for each other's well being and through exchanging gifts. Sisters also make special arrangements of foods for their dear brothers. Cultural programs like song and dance are parts of this event.
Rakhi Celebration is not Only for Siblings
Opposing the popular belief that only the sisters can tie the sacred thread of Rakhi to their brothers, it can be said that a mother or a wife can also tie this thread for the well being of their dear one. Ancient Hindu mythology and Indian history have a number of instances where a wife has tied this thread so that her husband can escape the negativity of life.
Tagore's Role in Popularizing Rakhi Ceremony
This single thread of Rakhi has the ability to unite warring nations. Poet Rabindranath Tagore showed this unique feature of Rakhi ceremony during the eve of Bengal partition. In the year of 1905, when the British Empire was planning to take advantage of the conflict between the Hindus and the Muslims to divide Bengal, Tagore organized Rakhi ceremony to spread the spirit of fraternity between these two religious groups. He was successful in doing so.
Different Puposes of Rakhi in Different Parts of India
In different states of India, this particular event has different significance. In most parts of Southern India, this is an auspicious day to start Vedic studies. To the farmer communities of states like Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, this is an ideal day to pray for good harvest. On the other hand, for the fishing communities of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka, Rakhi festival is a suitable event through which they can please God Varuna by offering the sea coconut so that they can expect a good fishing season. People of Gujarat consider this day as a favorable day when they can seek the blessings of Lord Shiva to avoid negativity in life.
Purpose of Rakhi Ceremony
This particular festival of Rakhi endeavors to spread the sense of oneness among nation. The procedures of celebrating Rakhi festival differs from regions to regions. But what is unique about it is that, it intends to prove that, the thread of Rakhi can bring prosperity and peace in life. From time immemorial, Rakhi acted as a symbol of seeking help from the stronger one by a relatively weaker person. Hindu mythology and history support the fact that no one can deny the strong bond of Rakhi, not even the powerful one. It was due to this thread of Rakhi for which King Puru restrained himself from attacking Alexander the Great during the battle.
Necessity of Rakhi Celebration at Present Age
According to Hindu calendar, this ceremony is organized on the full moon day of the month of Shravana On this day sisters and brothers pray to avoid negative consequences of life. They pray to the God so that everyone can live in peace and harmony and can enjoy prosperity in life. At present age, all of us are going through a number of negative aspects like religious conflicts, warring nations, terrorism and so on. All of these problems have only one solution. The feeling of brotherhood can eliminate all of these troubles. Arousing the sense of fraternity among people will be possible if they seek the help of peace and harmony. Only the thread of Rakhi can yield a fruitful result in this scenario.