Raksha Bandhan 2024

Raksha Bandhan is a significant festival for Hindus. The festival reflects the brother-sister relationship. On this festival, sisters tie a rakhi on their brother's wrists to protect them from the evil eye.

Tying a rakhi showcases the gesture of the sister’s affection and signifies her prayer for her brother's long life. On the other hand, brothers give gifts to their sisters and promise to protect them from everything.

This festival is celebrated across India, especially in Northern and Western India, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the Purnima (full moon) day on the last day of Shravan (July–August) as per the Hindu calendar. This year, it will be celebrated on 19th August 2024, Monday.

It is said that the best time to perform the rituals of Raksha Bandhan is during the afternoon time and if this is not possible, then the time of Pradosh is also quite suitable for the ceremony.

Raksha Bandhan is one of the auspicious festivals for Hindus and is celebrated with great enthusiasm all over India. Raksha refers to 'protection', and Bandhan refers to 'bond', which means "the bond of protection, obligation, and care".

In many places in India, Raksha Bandhan is also known by different names like Saluno, Rakri, Rakhi Purnima or Rakhi, and the way of celebrating also differ. 

Although there are some stories about celebrating Raksha Bandhan where the first story says that it started in the era of gods and goddesses. According to legend, when Lord Krishna was hurt during a fight with the evil king Shishupala, Draupadi tied a piece of cloth around his wrist.

In return, Lord Krishna promised to protect Draupadi from everything. Another story says that when Bahadur Shah, the Sultanate of Gujarat, attacked Mewar, Queen Karnavati of Mewar sent a rakhi to Emperor Humayun, asking for help.

Humayun was impressed by the gesture of Rani Karnavati, and without wasting time, he rushed with his military expedition to her aid. Another story says that Rabindranath Tagore started the Rakhi Mahotsav during the partition of West Bengal in 1905.

He started this mass Raksha Bandhan festival to celebrate the togetherness and love between Hindus and Muslims of Bengal. It is said that Rabindranath Tagore started this tradition to counter the attempts of the British to divide the communities.

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated religiously in every Hindu household. On this day, a sister applies tilak on the brother’s forehead, does his aarti and ties a rakhi on his wrist. In return, a brother gives her a gift or money and promises to protect her from the evil eye under any circumstances.

As mentioned earlier, Raksha Bandhan is also known as Saluna, Rakri, where in Saluna, sisters place some barley shoots behind the brothers' ears.

Apart from this, there is a ritual called 'Lumba Rakhi' in the Rajasthan and Marwari communities, in which Rakhi is tied on the wrist of the brother's wife. It is said that the wife is equally responsible for the sister's well-being, and the ritual of Raksha Bandhan remains incomplete without her. 

Raksha Bandhan is one of the important festivals in India. This festival is celebrated to honour the bond between brothers-sisters. Raksha Bandhan signifies the bond of protection, obligation and care that a brother and sister share.

This festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the last day of the month of Shravan, according to the Hindu calendar. In 2023, Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated on 30 August, Wednesday. The festival celebrates the bond of goodness, love, and harmony among siblings. 

We hope you enjoyed reading this article on Raksha Bandhan. We wish you a very Happy Raksha Bandhan and hope this Raksha Bandhan strengthens the bond between you and your siblings.

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