Raksha Bandhan – the festival of celebration of a brother-sister ties is one of the most fun festivals I remember. When we were little kids, unlike in Bangalore we would get a holiday on rakhi. We were two sisters and a brother. It would be a festive atmosphere in the house with mummy making yummy sweets and food. We would take a bath, dress up in traditional clothes and then tie a rakhi to our younger brother. As is tradition, the brother has to give a gift to the sister in return. So my father used to give him some money to give to us. Being the youngest, he would cry to get some money too so he was given his share as well :). The significance of rakhi is that a sister ties a rakhi on her brother’s wrist and the brother vows to protect his sister. Now, there is really no protection needed from the brother in today’s times 🙂 but the festival does tend to celebrate brother-sister ties and in that it is quite unique. It is a pity that since I have got married I have not been able to tie a rakhi to my brother though I send it every year. Now that we are not living together, I feel a little sentimental about it 🙂
For today’s kids, I wonder what the feeling is. For my sons who have 6 first cousins, it is a day to show off all the six rakhis tied on their wrists. Of course, since they do not live with a sister they don’t understand the significance of having one. For my elder sis-in-law who has 4 daughters and who lives in the US, her daughters think of it as a friendship band which is a nice adaptation to an old concept.
Whatever be the sentiment behind it, rakhi is always filled with fun and laughter and a strong reinforcement of the bonds shared between siblings.