Raksha Bandhan is a
Hindu festival.
The topic of this festival is the link of protection
(raksha) between brother and sister, and it is celebrated on the full moon in
the lunar month of Shravan (July–August).
On this day, sisters tie (bandhan) a string around their
brother's right wrist, which may be as basic as a thread or as elaborate as an
ornate bracelet.
Sisters then apply a tilak (tika) on their brothers'
foreheads as a token of respect and offer them sweets.
Brothers, for their part, offer money, clothes, jewelry, and
other items to their sisters.
Raksha Bandhan, like Bhaiya Duj, is a holiday that
celebrates the protective relationship between brothers and sisters.
In the long run, brothers are considered as the family
members who will defend their sisters' interests, since daughters often survive
their dads and rely on their brothers as natal relatives.
These ceremonies are performed by sisters to protect their
brothers from disaster; the thread placed around the wrist is said to ward off
evil.
Men and women who are not related by blood but are close to
one another also participate in the Raksha Bandhan event.
Tying the thread between them "makes" them brother
and sister, and so eliminates the possibility of any amorous relationship,
which would be considered incest.
