This article is about how the festival of Rakhi is celebrated in India. The different forms of celebration during the event and its true essence.
Indian festivals have a different fervor because there is a
lot of celebration, family gatherings, exchange of gifts and sweets, singing
and dancing. Raksha Bandhan is no
exception. It is the time of the year
when brothers and sisters come nearer to express the special feelings which
they reserve for each other. The tying
of Raksha thread on the hand of the brother by the sister is an auspicious
occasion. The event is mainly celebrated
in North and Western regions of India
but has prevalence all over the country.
The merriment varies with region but the spirit is the same
everywhere.
On this eventful day the preparations start early morning with every member of
the house coming together to worship the deities. After asking for blessings from god the
sister performs aarti, puts chawal and tika on the forehead of the brother and
ties rakhi in the midst of chanting of mantras. The
sister then offers him gifts and sweets.
The brother vows to protect her from all hardships and also offers her
sweets and gifts. The Raksha Bandhan
ceremony ends heralding the beginning of day long celebrations.
The family members come together to enjoy tasty dishes, gifts, sweets and lot
of other pleasantries. The brothers and
sisters who could not meet often because of long distances bridge all gap by
sending e-cards, rakhi greeting cards and rakhis through different
websites. The preparation for the grand
event start days in advance. The market
places are flooded with colourful rakhis.
Garment shops dress up with fresh fashions to cater to the needs of
innumerable customers. Other places like
the sweet shops and the gift stores also don a festive look. There is happiness in the air which signals
the arrival of unforgettable times.
As mentioned earlier the festival of Rakhi is celebrated in different ways
in different parts of the country. In
the state of Gujarat Rakhi is celebrated as Pavitropana. On the day of the event prayers are offered
to Lord Shiva. The ceremony is held to
ask for forgiveness against past misdeeds or sins. As part of the ritual a cotton thread is soaked
in the mixture of cow ghee, milk, urine, excreta and curd called panchagaivya
and is wrapped around the Shivalinga to seek heavenly grace. In the southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu and Kerala, Raksha Bandhan is known as Avani Avittam. It is an auspicious day when people ask for
atonement of the past sins. The festival
of Rakhi is known by Kajari Purnima or Shravani in the states of Chattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. One of the important features of this festival
is that the womenfolk initiate the beginning by bringing earth in a leaf cup on
the day of Shravan Shukla Navami. The
final worship is held in the evening of the full moon day. Rakhi assumes the name of Nariyal Purnima on
the western part of India. Celebrated in the states of Gujarat,
Maharashtra and Goa with lot of gaiety this
festival is of much importance.
The Rakhi thread today has also undergone a lot of transformation. Their designs have become highly
attractive. There are beautiful precious
rakhis, kid rakhi, bhaiya bhabi
rakhi and the like for unforgettable times!
A kid rakhi can be
fascinating and a precious rakhi can capture the imagination. Each richly decorated rakhi convey the
heartfelt emotions which make the occasion special. A gold rakhi to India
or a silver rakhi to India are a
priceless gift. A gold rakhi to India
is laced with golden feelings which enrich the heart of a sister. A silver rakhi to India
is a priceless gift which can convey the intensity of feelings like no
other!
Near and dear ones send rakhi to India to
express their inner feelings. Each and
every rakhi to india is a messenger
of love. It is a special occasion when
all come nearer to celebrate one of the most pristine relations.
The author writes for GiftstoIndia24x7.com which specialises in delivering rakhi to india. The site aims to connect the global NRI by enabling them to send rakhi to Indiaon the occasion of Rakhi.
