Importance of Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) for Hindus of Indian origin

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<h1>Importance of Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) for Hindus of Indian origin</h1><strong> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Rakhi Shukla.aspx'>Rakhi Shukla</a></strong><br /><p>India has a rich history of culture, as well as religion. Most of the Indian festivals owe their roots either to key events from Mythology, Religious characters or the celebration of harvests and seasons. Though there are a wide range of religions practiced in India, Hindus form the majority. Within Hinduism, there are various sub-sects, and therefore festivals are also celebrated accordingly. The Indian culture holds the relationship between a brother and sister as sacred, and something to be celebrated in a beautiful way. Thus, the festival of Raksha Bandhan (literally translating to "bond of protection") is celebrated throughout the country, typically in August, by Hindus of almost all sub-sects and geographies. This festival is anchored around the tying of a "thread of protection" called Rakhi by the sister on a brother's wrist. This simple act denotes that the sister has showered her love and blessing for the brother's prosperity and well-being and the brother in turn, vows to protect his sister for life. The sister is then supposed to offer sweets to her brother, and he in turn gives various gifts to her, to mark the occasion. The festival of Rakhi cannot trace its roots to any one specific incident, though history offers us many insights in its origins. The most well known is the Krishna - Draupadi legend, wherein the latter had tied a small patch of her saree on the bleeding finger of Krishna in the battlefield, thus giving rise to the act of tying a Rakhi. Krishna, taking her as a sister, played the part of a protective brother when he magically extended the saree of Draupadi to infinite lengths during the act of "Cheer-Haran" or removal of clothes as a result of a lost gambling debt; thus saving her honour. Another incident, from Rajasthani folklore is that of Rani Karnavati of Chittour, who sent a Rakhi to the great emperor Humayun, when her kingdom was threated by an invading marauder, in the 16th century. Though the emperor despatched a large army to Chittour to protect the queen, the army could not arrive in time to save the queen, who along with more than 10,000 other women gave up their lives to defend their honour. Hindu mythology also offers several other such narratives which eventually gave rise to the celebration of Raksha Bandhan, as we know it, today. Though the Rakhi thread is central to proceedings, there is a small Rakhi Pooja conducted by the sister for her brother, post which she ties the Rakhi on the brother's wrist. Each of them, in turn, then feed sweets to the other. The brother is expected to give gifts, popular ones being either cash, jewellery, garments or other requests by the sister. If the brother is married, the sister also ties a thread called the "lumba" on the bangles of her sister-in-law. The Rakhi thread itself has evolved, with times, and now one can find hybrid Rakhis with themes as disparate as Cartoon Rakhi, Rakhi made out of Pearls, Silver and Gold, and even Diamonds! However, in its simplest form, a rakhi is a plain thread, with bits of glitter and shimmer on it. As with all festivals, Rakhi, too has adapted to modern times. In practice, this is a day of gathering of families, playing dress up in ethnic clothes and the consumption of copious amounts of rich sweets!</p><strong>About the Author:</strong><br />Gujaratgifts.com provides services to send <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gujaratgifts.com/send-rakhi-to-india.html">Rakhi to India</a> with delivery available to more than 2500 cities all over the country. The site displays a wide range of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gujaratgifts.com/send-rakhi-to-india.html">Rakhi Gifts to India</a> including Sweets, Dry Fruits, Hampers and Thalis with secure payments and multiple delivery options. Raksha Bandhan this year is on Saturday, the 13th of August 2011<p> Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Importance-of-Raksha-Bandhan-(Rakhi)-for-Hindus-of-Indian-origin_64507.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Importance of Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) for Hindus of Indian origin_64507.aspx</a></p>

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