Rakhi

Raksha Bandhan

"Rakhi", as it is popularly called, is celebrated in the month of Shravan (August) on the day of the full moon. Literally meaning "ties of protection", it commemorates the bond between brothers and sisters. On the morning of the festival, women of all ages put a tikka of vermilion on their brother's foreheads, tie a ceremonial rakhi (this may be a colorful thread, a simple bracelet, a decorative string or something really fancy, made of silver and crystals) on their brothers' wrist(s), and offer them mithai (sweets) after an aarti (prayer). The brothers, in return, promise to love and protect their sisters, and gift them some money as a token of their affection. The practice often extends more generally to people of the opposite sex who are not biologically related. It has also been interpreted as a pledge by the strong to protect the weak.