Come August! The month of fabulous festivals! Rakhi 2006 is on the anvil and everybody is on his or her best to give a new dimension to the celebrations of this much awaited festival. Rakhi festival holds great significance in our lives…right? It signifies the bond of eternal love between the siblings of the family. In this era of millennium, where the winds of change are blowing rapidly, these festivals are here to say that tradition never goes out of style!
According to the Hindu calendar ‘Raksha Bandhan’ falls on the auspicious full moon day or Purnima of the month of Shravan. It is the festival that not only enhances the love between brothers and sisters but also forges enduring ties between whole families. On this auspicious day the sisters tie Rakhis on the wrists of their brothers, in return the brothers proclaim that they protect their sisters from all the vagaries of life and pamper them with an array of gifts and cash.
Each and every festival of India has something to convey. Whether, it is Rakhi or Dussera or Divali they have their own significance and style of celebrations. The week before the auspicious ‘Rakhi Poornima’ is marked with frenzied shopping trips, for colorful clothes, yummy sweets, extraordinary gifts and no expense is spared, for the best rakhis that reaffirms the bond of love between the siblings and whole of the family.
So friends send gifts to India and worldwide amid the colorful celebrations of the festival with all the fun and frolic around. This auspicious day calls for fabulous entertainment and enjoyment. After the event of the tying of the rakhis, all the family members gather at one stage. Evenings are spent in meeting the near and dear ones amid tasty foods, sweets, music, dance and entertainment.
Rakhi is the festival of love and courage. It is a celebration of the blemish less relationship a brother and a sister share. On this noble occasion, sisters pray for the well being of their brothers by tying rakhi. Brothers, in turn, pledge to protect their sisters even in the face of death. With such pure love in the background, rakhi celebration is bound to be overwhelming.
According to tradition, the sister readies the pooja-thali and worships the deities. Immediately after she takes arthi of the brother and applies tika on his forehead. All the while she prays for her brother’s safety. The brother gives her a token gift and promises to lay down everything, even his life, for her safety.
Though times have changed, the spirit behind rakhi remains the same. Today, rakhi celebration has come to include so much fun and frolic than there used to be. Cards and gifts are exchanged. Mouth-watering dishes are prepared for all the guests at family gatherings, who arrive decked in new clothes and jewelry. Sweets are distributed after dinner. A prominent feature of such gatherings is the song-and-dance programs, which are enjoyed by young and old alike. Everyone participates in these jigs and enjoys it to the hilt. Truly, rakhi is a festival of love and togetherness.
Rakhi 2005 is going to be here in a few weeks’ time. How are you planning to celebrate it? Do you want to celebrate rakhi 2005 in a different way this time? Here are tips to make your rakhi memorable this year. · Sisters can design their own rakhis. This will give them an opportunity to show their love as well as their creativity. · Instead of the regular token gift, brothers can surprise their sisters by taking them to a gift shop and asking them to pick any item of their choice (irrespective of the price!). · Go in for novel items. Guys, this is rakhi 2005. Everything is available on the net. Do not stick to the old and tested gifts like shirts and saris. Quickly browse for novel gifts. Order them well in advance. Experience the surprise and excitement a novel gift can generate. · In case your brother or sister is much younger than you, take them for an outing. Make the day memorable for them, so that they will look forward to it the next year. · If your brother or sister is abroad, make the day special for them by calling them more than once. This will make them feel loved and wanted.
Where will you be on August 19, 2005? Will you be away from home? Will you be in a different country with a different time zone? Your siblings will miss you dearly on August 19, the day of Raksha bandhan. The day a sister fondly ties the rakhi around her brother’s wrist. Make up for your absence. Show your love to your near and dear ones. Tell them you care. No matter in which corner of the world may be, send rakhi gifts to India online. Your loved ones will cherish your gifts. Your timely gesture will touch their hearts.
To send rakhi gifts to India, you can select from a wide range of gifts. Rakhis are available in a variety of materials. For example, gold rakhi, silver rakhi, and pearl rakhi. You can also send sweets, flowers, chocolates and hampers along with your choice of rakhi. Rakhis are also available in specific categories based on relationships, like Brother’s rakhi, Bhaiyya-bhabhi rakhi and kids rakhi. Rakhi sets can also be sent. Cards too form a major part of Rakhi gifts to India. Rakhi greeting cards can effectively convey your feelings. Make rakhi a truly memorable occasion this year.
Sending gifts to India through online shopping malls
At the last count, there are around 20 million NRIs and PIO (people of Indian origin) the world over. Many of them have retained their bonds with the country of their origin. They do so by sending letters or sending gifts to India. As the number indicated above is no mean number, lot of these expatriates, send gifts to India. Gifts to India range from gift cheques to greeting cards to electronic appliance. Thanks to the World Wide Web, this custom has received a shot in the arm. Now, people can send gifts by clicking on their PC in the confines of their house, wherever they are. Gifts are means of telling relatives and friends that you remember them.
India is a country with rich tradition and customs. There are lot of occasions and festivals in India through out the year. All the festivals are celebrated with pomp and show.
In each festival there is a tradition of giving gifts. Elders give gifts to younger, gifts are exchanged between husband and wife, between people in love etc. The people living abroad also do send gifts to India through online shopping malls. There are a lot of online shopping malls and I would discuss about them in my future blogs.
Rakhi or raksha bandhan is celebratory of the brother- sister tie and it is one occasion where brothers and sisters come together to re-affirm their ties and exchange blessings and good wishes. The traditional practice involved sisters tying a sacred thread at the wrists of their brothers to protect them from evil and misfortune. In turn the brother took a pledge to protect his sister from all harm.
Traditionally the brothers also gave to their sisters some rakhi gifts to mark the occasion and to show their love. Rakhi gifting has become a well entrenched custom today.In today’s world where a lot of siblings are separated by distance due to reasons of work, study or marriage, sending of rakhi gifts and rakhis by mail has become a common feature. I think one of the most important utility of online shopping and online gifting is that it helps in maintaining important relations despite distances.
Rakhi gifts can now be chosen online , ordered and delivered , all this without one having to even move from ones desk. I think this is a convenient and timely help for brothers who would like to send return rakhi gift to their sisters but don’t know how. So now all brothers and sisters can stop agonizing over how to send rakhis and rakhi gifts. The option is just a mouse click away.
Rakhi, an Indian festival, a.k.a Raksha Badhan is celebrated on the full moon of Sravana month (masa) of the Indian calendar. Though nobody is sure of its actual origins, this festival has become popular, if not for anything, but the unique sibling bonding it signifies. In fact, I can hasten to add that the festival has taken precedence over its myths because it has given an occasion for us to celebrate a very special sentiment, like brother-sister love.
Rakhi has transcended barriers like caste and religion. It is one festival, for me, which reinforces Indian unity like no other. Now Rakhis are being sent using online shopping sites, and Rakhi gifts have a special flavor of their own. This year it will be celebrated on 30th August.
Raksha Bandhan, also popularly known as Rakhi, is the occasion which symbolizes and celebrates the age-old Indian tradition of the strong pledging to protect the weak .It is among the most hallowed of the Indian festivals as well as one of the most popular. Its importance and popularity stem from the fact that it celebrates and reaffirms the tie of love and affection that binds brothers and sisters together.
Observed in the month of sravan, on a full moon day, the chief ritual involves the sister tying a sacred thread to the brother’s wrist and praying for his safety and long life. Rakhi purnima is also known by the name of Kajri Purnima. People pay their tribute to Goddess bagwati on this day. Some other names for rakha bandhan are ::
`` Vish Tarak: The destroyer of venom `` Punya Pradayak: The bestower of boons `` Pap Nashak: the destroyer of sins.
Rakhi is that special occasion in the Indian cultural calendar , which celebrates the brother-sister tie. It is a festival that is exclusive to the Indians and stories of its varied origins can be traced to the Indian mythologies. Like every other festival this one is also celebrated with a lot of fervor and gusto and loads of merrymaking.
Like Diwali and Holi it is a national festival that cuts across regional, cultural and language barriers to be celebrated across the entire country. On this occasion brothers renew their pledge to save and protect their sisters and sisters in their turn tie the sacred thread on the wrists of their brothers . This thread is called rakhi, I am not sure about the etymology of this word but it is also called the raksha bandhan which in literal translation means _ the bond that protects.
Its also a time when brothers and sisters come together and share memories of good times . for those siblings who have moved away for reasons of work, or marriage it is also a time for reunion. Rakhi or raksha bandhan heralds a good time for all. The markets all wear a festive look and streets are littered with confetti. Colorful stalls sell varieties of rakhis in all shapes, sizes and colors.
Thalis ( ceremonial trays ) and gifts are in vogue during the course of the festival. When the day of rakhi dawns , the excitement reaches a frenzy . The sister ties the rakhi on her brothers wrist and performs the aarti( blessing ritual). The brother also blesses his sister and gifts her either in cash or kind.
All over India, Rakhi is celebrated on the Shravana Purnima falling in the months of July and August. This year, Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on 30th of August. The festival is so popular among Indians, that Shravana Purnima is named as Rakhi Purnima..
During the medieval period in India it was not uncommon to find one group of people engaged in battle against another. One such group was of the Rajputs, they were famous for their valor and courage in battlefields. The Rajput women were equally renowned for their bravery.They were popular for performing mass sati( jowar) . They believed in giving up their lives rather than fall victim to the enemies.
In one such confrontation Rani Karmawati found her kingdom Chittoor besieged by the Mogul Governer Bahadur Shah. The mogul army was large and the Rajput widow Queen realized that she was no match for the mighty army, so she sent word to Emperor Humayun for assistance. Legend has it that such was the power of the raksha bandhan or rakhi that the Emperor came to her help despite, the risk of alienating himself from the rest of the Moguls. Unfortunately he was late and by the time he reached all the rajput women had committed mass suicides.
There are various legends about the origin of rakhi, all rooted in the Indian mythologies . This festival, which falls in the Shravan masa (July-August) has come to be celebrated exclusively by brothers and sisters, though there are many legends connecting Rakhi to wives and husbands and gurus and shishyas.
In all these variations, the constant factor is that - Raksha Bandhan signifies a bond of protection and love. One legend recounting the genesis of the festival and tradition of rakhi, traces it to the Indian mythological figures of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. Lord Vishnu had a pious and dedicated devotee called Bali Chakravarthy. Moved by the latters piety and devotion , lord Vishnu descends from the heavens(vaikunth) and agrees to guard bali’s kingdom at his behest.
Goddess Laksmi who is not very happy with the state of affairs approaches bali, in the guise of a Brahmin woman and seeks his protection , till lord Vishnus’ return. Being the goddess of wealth(siri), she brings a lot of prosperity to balis’ kingdom. King bali is very pleased with the newfound prosperity and attributes it to the fugitive Brahmin women and grants her a wish. Goddess Laksmi reveals herself and asks bali to release Vishnu from his pledge.
Since this transpires in the month of shravan masa, the festival of rakhi is also celebrated in shravan masa.
