Tuesday 4 August 2009

Bond of Protection - Raksha Bandhan

On August 5th, Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated
by Indians everywhere.
This festival commemorates the tie between
brothers and sisters.
Our Hindu friends give it a religious intonation,
but people of all beliefs celebrate it in their own way.
Sisters tie a rakhi or colorful thread
on their brother 's wrist, which is a tie
of protection and love.
I took some pictures of rakhi stalls near my house
These are the cheaper ones

Very colorful and intricately designed

You can make your choice
These days Chinese rakhis are in vogue
Depending on your pocket
you can buy the more expensive rakhis
These can cost anywhere
between a few hundred
to thousands of Rupees
The sisters give sweets to brothers
and they in turn give them gifts of money,
candy, fashion accessories, jewelry,
clothes and toys.
These are the bracelet types

Very finely crafted

Rakhis for kids

Encrusted with gems

Gold plated rakhi

You can order them online with a box of sweets

A display of Rakhi gifts

You can tie a rakhi on your blood brother 's wristor anyone you call a brother,
he can be an acquaintance, colleague,
school-mate , your husband 's friend.
You can even tie a rakhi on a guy
to show you are not
romantically interested in him.
I am posting videos which I think you will like



Here is another video from a TV show.
This takes place in a royal family.

26 Fertilize my soul:

Sherri Murphy said...

I would gladly give some candy to a brother in exchange for that fabulous jewelry! I think we should start this tradition here in the states!

Amrita said...

That 's right Sherri its a fab idea.

Sometimes the expectations are really high . And lucky you are of you have a rich brother provided the sister in law doesn 't get in the way.

Brit. (lille meg) said...

So much nice things! It must have been great!

Curious Servant said...

Hi Sis!

Love the little insights into your home.

Things are going well. Tonight I give a presentation to my church about my recent trip.

madison said...

Hubby got his Rakhi in the mail today from his sister.
I always thought they were beautiful bracelets anyway.

Felisol said...

Dear Amrita,
I love bonding gifts between siblings.
What a great idea.
I don't think my only brother would wear a bracelet though.
The wonderful ways you are teaching us about all these details.
I so appreciate them.
From Felisol

Amrita said...

Dear Felisol, I am sure your brother will like a nice gold or silver bracelet. There are all sort available, macho ones too.Ha...ha

Hi Madison, good your hubby 's rakhi arrived safely. He will waer it proudly.
Hi Will, how are you doing?
Reading about your Thailand was a fascinating. The pix too.

You really had a unique experience on the other side of the earth and it touched your heart. And you responded by trying to touch the lives of those who are victims of their unfortunate circumstances. Your presentation must have been very good, you are a perspective person.Hope the boys are doing well.

Hello Brit, I don 't celebrate this occasion but see others, its kind of fun.

Buttercup said...

Thank you Amrita for these photos. I know I would so enjoy seeing the Rakhi stands.

Kathryn said...

Amrita -

is it only brothers & sisters?

I have no brothers.

Can i (symbolically) tie one on your wrist, across the wide ocean, as my sister?

:)

Amrita said...

Hi Buttercup, the rakhi stalls are very colorful. Shy as I am I took my chance and took some pictures.

Hi Kathryn,

Its a lovely idea.Of course you can do that. Although traditionally rakhi is ties to brothers. But we can have a Christian festival where brothers and sisters in the body of Christ can tie a holy thread on each other 's wrists and promise to watch out for them and help them in need and bless them in whatever way the Lord leads them to.

Creations by Marie Antoinette and Edie Marie said...

Stunning,So beautiful.I would love one of these beauties.XXOO Marie Antionette

Pia said...

hi amrita. thank you for dropping by. (((HUGS))) you are truly sweet. God bless you, my dear friend.

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Amrita:)

Lovely photos of rakhis and a very interesting write up on this celebration.

I remember when I was living in Bhopal the land lord's daughter used to tie rakhis on my children's hand and we used to give her Rs.50. When we came to Kochi she used to send the rakhis by post and we used to send a money order. This went on for many years until she got married.

I never realized rakhis have become so expensive. In the South this is not a very big celebration although the north Indian community celebrate this festival with gusto. Soon Onam festival will come and I understand Sonia Gandhi is coming to Kochi to witness the Nehru Boat Race.

Interesting videos.

Many thanks for this elaborate, painstaking and fantastic presentation.

Have a lovely day Amrita:)
Joseph

Amrita said...

Dear Marie Antionette, I love your classical name. Your dolls are very charming. Thank you for visiting me. You could even decorate your dolls with the bracelets.

Hi Pia, have a good holiday in Singapore. Get well soon.
Iam so sorry about the passing away of Cory Akino.

Dear Joseph sir,
Rakhi is very popular in the northern states,but its catching on in the south too...maybe places like Bangalore.
I enjoy watching the Nehru Boat Race, wonderful display of strength, codination and skill. I must watch this year 's too.

Debra said...

So very beautiful and colorful. I really enjoyed reading and learning about this!

Anonymous said...

Soulful pictures besides great blog indeed.Thanks for sharing.Belated Raksha bandhan wishes to you.

Cheers!!
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Mel Avila Alarilla said...

It's a very colorful tradition and celebrates the ties between sisters and brothers. Your post and the accompanying videos are very informative indeed. We appreciate the many traditions and celebrations in India. Thanks for the post. God bless you always.

June said...

Thank you for your comment on freebies Amrita. I shall look out for Indian images and see if i can add some soon too
Love your rakhis very beautiful
hugs June x

Glennis said...

Rather a nice idea. I lovely Indian custom, and there is such a variety of different bands and threads.
Enjoy your day, I hope you get many rakhis.

Tikno said...

Very interesting customs and also a lovely moment. Unfortunately we don't have this festival. Thank for sharing, so I know this festival.

Can I symbolically tie one on your wrist?

Crown of Beauty said...

What a beautiful tradition between sisters and brothers. Somehow because the tradition starts early in life, there is a bond of love that is formed between the siblings.

Thank you for taking time to share it with us. I loved the colorful pictures you took!

The videos were so touching.

xashee's corner said...

absolutely STUNNING! thank you so very much for sharing such a LOVELY celebration! :) These are things i would NEVER see in this life! Have a FANTASTIC day!

Amrita said...

Thank you xashee. In Indian society family ties are very imporant, although changes are taking place.

Dear Lidj, each country has its own uniquemess to share. The Phillipines has a very rich heritage too.

Dear Tikno, yes, you can, that is very sweet.

Hello Glennis, I really enjoyed the photos of yor cruise down under.

Thank you June. You are a very creative lady. Your vintage photography is brilliant.

Amrita said...

Thank you xashee. In Indian society family ties are very imporant, although changes are taking place.

Dear Lidj, each country has its own uniquemess to share. The Phillipines has a very rich heritage too.

Dear Tikno, yes, you can, that is very sweet.

Hello Glennis, I really enjoyed the photos of yor cruise down under.

Thank you June. You are a very creative lady. Your vintage photography is brilliant.

Amrita said...

Hi Debra, wishing you a good restful weekend.

Welcome to my blog avagdro and thank you for the links. Your blog has a lot of wisdom quotes in it.

Tikno said...

Dear Amrita, thank you so much for your response. I feel honored.

PS: I'm impressed with your question about my religion.