Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu holiday celebrating the bond between brother and sister, was celebrated this year on Aug. 9.
According to the Hindustan Times, Raksha Bandhan is celebrated annually during the auspicious month of “Shravana” on the Hindu calendar, and this year, the festival falls in August. The holiday, as reported by the Times of India, takes place during a full moon, known as “purnima”, and is one of the most widely celebrated festivals among Hindus in India and around the world.
Swami Medhananda, Hindu chaplain of UCLA and the University of Southern California, said Raksha Bandhan recognizes the importance of siblings in the Hindu religion.
“It signifies a bond between the brother and the sister, and the bonds suggesting it should symbolize or signify that you’re going to look out for each other,” Medhananda said.
Medhananda said Raksha Bandhan is related to the fundamental Hindu value of “dharma.”
“The idea is that by undergoing this ceremony, that it may help to strengthen the bond between brother and sister and encourage both of them to try to be selfless – try to remove ego and selfishness from their sibling relationship,” Medhananda said.
According to MANAS, a site focused on Indian history created by UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences, Raksha Bandhan is a combination of the words, “raksha” which means protection, and “bandhan” which means bond. Together, the two words come together to mean the “bond of protection”.
Every year on Raksha Bandhan, sisters in Hindu families follow a tradition of tying a decorative thread, known as a “rakhi”, on her brother’s wrist as a symbol of love and affection. In return, the brother pledges to protect and support her throughout his life, according to MANAS.
Rakhis come in a variety of colors, each carrying its own meaning. Rakhi Bazaar, a leading online rakhi store, found that red is one of the most popular colors for a rakhi, signifying love, strength and protection. Yellow, orange and green rakhis are also some other common colors.
However, some celebrants of Raksha Bandhan also tie nontraditional rakhis for their loved ones to keep the holiday more casual.
Ishika Agrawal, a rising fourth-year business economics student and external vice president of Bruin Hindus said she ties rakhis featuring cartoon characters for her older cousins, who played a brotherly role in her life.
“It’s always fun for me, specifically, to find cartoon rakhis for them, some cartoon characters and some funny rakhis, just to make the festival a bit more playful,” Agrawal said.
The tying of rakhis and other Raksha Bandhan traditions can be traced back to several Hindu legends and myths.
According to the Hindustan Times and Britannica, one of the most popular legends follow the legend of Lord Krishna, a Hindu deity, and Draupadi, the wife of the ruling Pandavas brothers.
According to the BBC, the legend started when Draupadi tore a piece of her sari, a traditional Indian garment, to bandage Lord Krishna’s bleeding finger. Later on in the legend when Draupadi was in trouble, Krishna used his powers to protect and rescue her.
Today, Raksha Bandhan is celebrated every year to celebrate the bond of Draupadi and Krishna and their devotion to protecting each other.
For many college students, Raksha Bandhan falls during summer break, allowing students to celebrate the holiday with their family and loved ones.
Suchira Somaraju, a rising fourth-year psychobiology student and president of Bruin Hindus, said she still celebrates Raksha Bandhan despite not having any biological brothers by tying rakhis to her family friends, whom she saw as brotherly figures in her life.
“It (Raksha Bandhan) became such an emotional and meaningful thing that it’s known now that when I say my brothers, I’m referring to these guys who aren’t really my biological brothers, but they are brothers to me in every other sense,” Somaraju said.
For some other students, the holiday’s emphasis on family holds deeper significance within the broader Indian culture.
Agrawal said she finds a lot of meaning in carrying on her family’s traditions of celebrating Raksha Bandhan.
“This is one of the purest festivals we have, that’s main purpose is literally to symbolize sibling bond and how important family is,” Agrawal said.
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