Rakhi / Raksha Bandhan Celebrations
When is Rakhi in 2006? Rakhi is on 9th of August in 2006.
Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan is amongst the more popular festivals of India. This festival falls on the full moon of Shravan masa (July-August). Rakhi essentially exemplifies a bond of love between sisters and brothers. On that particular day, a sister ties Rakhi on her brother’s wrist as a token of love and affection and in return the brother promises protect to his sister as long as they live.
During this celebration the sister comes with a Rakhi, the sister first applies a tilak (vermillion) on her brother’s forehead and then ties the Rakhi, the brother in return gives her a present. They both feed each other sweets. Therefore, Rakhi gifts are very popular in the Indian tradition. This year Rakhi Purnima(full moon) falls on 9th of August.
It was during the time of Rajput reign that Rakhi became a popular festival. But there are many legends associated with Rakhi. One of that is of Alexander’s wife tying a Rakhi to King Punarvasu, wherein she implored the latter to spare her husband’s life.
The other legend relates to Rani Karanwati, a widowed Rajput ruler of Chittoor. Bahadur Shah was invading her kingdom. To seek help from Humayun, the Mughal emperor, she tied a Rakhi to him. Touched by this act, Humayun accepted Karnawati as his sister and went to Chittoor to protect her. But by the time he reached there, it was too late as the women of Chittoor committed mass suicides by jumping into the funeral pyres.
In 1905, Lord Curzon tried to drive a wedge between different sects in Bengal by dividing the composite state into East Bengal and West Bengal. This enraged most of the Bengalis and Indian nationalists. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore appealed to all women in either Bengal state to bury their religious, caste differences and tie Rakhis on the wrists of both Hindus and Muslims in a bid to restore unity. It proved to be a successful initiative.