Raksha Bandhan Traditions August 2, 2012  Save as Bookmark  Send this Page to Friend. Raksha Bandhan Home   Raksha Bandhan Wallpapers   Rakhi & Thali Decoration   Raksha Bandhan Greetings   Raksha Bandhan Origin   Raksha Bandhan Recipes   Raksha Bandhan Traditions   Rituals & Sentiments   Scriptural Origin   The Legend   Raksha Bandhan day starts with a festive mood in every Indian home. Rakhis are made or bought a day before the festival. Traditional goodies and dishes are prepared early in the morning.     After an early bath, the offering Puja (worshipping of god) takes place. The sister then offers ‘aarti‘ (a traditional way of worshipping) to her brother and ties the thread on his right wrist. Traditional ‘tilak‘ or vermilion powder on the forehead of the brother is put and the brother blesses the sister. The tradition of giving gifts and presents is also an important part of this festival. The brother gifts his sister a gift after she ties the Rakhi on his wrist. This gift acts as a token of love and affection of the brother towards the sister. Sometimes sisters also demand for a gift of their own choice to keep it as a loving memory of that very day. However, the blessing bestowed by the brother itself is regarded as the biggest gift for the sister. Treating her brother along with her entire family, the goodies and eatables that have been prepared follows next. The normal rituals are followed with great devotion and dedication     India shows its unity among diversity in its various ways of celebrating Raksha Bandhan too. Rakhi is mostly celebrated in the northern part of India. The celebration of Raksha Bandhan is more or less the same in this region. But the other parts of India celebrate this festival in various other ways. The rituals and customs followed differ with region to region.     The festival of Raksha Bandhan is also known as Narial Poornima or Coconut Full Moon in Mumbai‘s famous beaches. Coconuts are thrown into the sea to propitiate the Sea God, Varuna, who is the chief object of worship on this occasion. The ‘three eyes‘ of the coconut are believed to represent the three-eyed Shiva and hence the religious significance. In fact, Hindus consider it auspicious to break a coconut in front of a deity before embarking upon any important venture. A similar practice is followed in some other places in order to offer Puja to the God of rain and water, Lord Varuna. Raksha Bandhan is called Avani Avittam in South India. This is the time of ‘upakarmam,‘ and is celebrated in various ways. It falls on the full-moon day of the month of Shravan (August‘September). It is an important Hindu festival.     On this day, Hindu Brahmans wear a new holy thread and offer libations of water to the ancient Rishis. The day is also set apart for Brahmins to change their sacred thread they wear. Thus, though the rituals and customs followed are different from region to region, the festivities of the Indian festivals have always been present in all the festivals. The characteristics like jauntiness, zeal, customs and rituals, traditional cuisines are also very much present in all the festivals here. The festival of Raksha Bandhan is very significant in a Hindu society. Hindu society values relationships to a great extent.     Raksha Bandhan not only helps in strengthening the relationship between brothers and sisters, it also strengthens the relationship of the society in general. This simple ceremony affirms the people‘s loyalty and faith not only amongst themselves, but also for the society. Celebration of festivals creates a feeling of unity and belongingness in the minds of the people involved to it.