All the festivals celebrated in the Hindu religion are associated with the gods and goddesses from mythology. Hence it is essential to celebrate these auspicious occasions with the proper rituals and traditions. This is why people in India give utmost attention and importance to the auspicious timings and ritualistic celebrations to perform the ceremony correctly.

Raksha Bandhan is a unique festival celebrated in India that marks the inseparable bond of brothers and sisters. Since this festival also holds immense significance in Hinduism, it should also be celebrated with the rituals and traditions like other festivals. If you are wondering how to celebrate Raksha Bandhan traditionally, we have listed down the essential things to follow to have an auspicious yet memorable day with your siblings.

Auspicious Timings

According to the Hindu calendar or Panchang, every sacred ceremony is to be performed within the auspicious timings. The same goes for traditional Raksha Bandhan celebrations, as they must be celebrated within the Shubh Muhurat so that there is no in auspiciousness in the rakhi celebrations. Performing the rakhi tying ceremony during the auspicious time slot is said to bring happiness and fortune to the family. And, it is always advised to avoid performing at Bhadra, which is considered in auspicious timing.

Bath Time

Before celebrating any special occasion or sacred ceremony, people wake up early in the morning and take a bath to have a fresh start to the day. On Raksha Bandhan also, brothers and sisters wake up early and take a bath. Then, they pray to God for each other’s long life, success and happiness. This day brings much excitement amongst the siblings that it takes away their sleep and makes them wake up early. Brothers and sisters then get ready in new attires and start preparing for the ceremony.

Rakhi

One of the main things required in the Raksha Bandhan rituals is a rakhi that defines the solid and unbreakable bond of siblings. A rakhi is a sacred piece of thread adorned with pearls, beads, ribbons, and other embellishments to be tied to the brother’s wrist. Sisters start looking for the best and most stylish rakhis for their brother weeks before the day of Raksha Bandhan. The sisters who live away from their brothers send rakhi to the place where the brothers are residing days before the festival to celebrate the Raksha Bandhan with them on time, even if there’s a long distance between them.

Fasting By Sisters

On this day, sisters observe Raksha Bandhan by fasting for their brothers and praying to God for their happiness, health, longevity, and prosperous life. They keep the fast till the rakhi tying ritual is complete. The fast is broken by the sister when she eats sweets from the hands of her brother. Fasting is one of the common rituals for Raksha Bandhan.

Puja Thali

Every ritual in the Hindu households is performed with a puja thali in hand that is decorated with the essentials required for the puja ceremony. Similarly, a puja thali is essential for the Rakhi rituals. Since it is essential for every festival, it has also become a popular gifting item for Raksha Bandhan. A puja thali for this festival must contain the following items for a ritualistic rakhi celebration:

• Rakhi
• Roli tika and rice
• Flowers
• A diya
• Sweets or chocolates

Tilak and Aarti of Brother

In the ritualistic Raksha Bandhan ceremony, after preparing the puja thali, the main rakhi tying ceremony begins. The sister applies tilak or roli tika on the forehead of the brothers, which denotes the opening or the wisdom or the third eye. This signifies a sister’s devotion toward her brother and protects him from any dangers in his life. After the tika, the sister also applies rice on the same spot and sprinkles some on the brother. After applying tika and chawal, sisters perform aarti on their brothers. Aarti is performed with a lit diya to ward off evil powers and negativities from the brother’s life. The aarti is performed at various other festive occasions and even day-to-day puja rituals as it is considered to be of great significance.

Rakhi Tying Ceremony

Next comes the main and most crucial ritual which is the rakhi tying ceremony. A rakhi, also also known as Raksha Dhaga, defines the strong and everlasting bond of brothers and sisters. The sister ties a rakhi to the brother’s wrist and blesses him with happiness, good luck, and success. This moment represents true love between the sister and the brother.

Chocolates and Sweets

Every festival or special occasion in India is celebrated with sweets. The same goes for the ritualistic Raksha Bandhan celebrations. Chocolates and sweets such as Kaju Katli, Choco bites, and Soan Papdi add more joy and happiness to the celebrations. After the sister ties the rakhi, she feeds her brother sweets or chocolates, and she eats some from her brother’s hands to break her fast.

Making Promises

The unique festival of Raksha Bandhan celebrates the true spirit of being a responsible brother. And, he makes an everlasting promise to protect his sister by always being by her side in both happy and tough times. The sister also promises to never leave her brother’s side and always take care of him.

Exchanging Gifts

Finally comes the last and most interesting part of the traditional Rakhi rituals which is exchanging gifts. The brothers give their token of love through return gifts for sisters, and the sister also gives gifts to her brother. Some popular gifts include chocolates, apparel, sweets, chocolates, dry fruits, cash, or other gifts.

Those were the essentials for having a traditional Raksha Bandhan celebration with your siblings. Sisters and brothers used to spend the day together following the ritualistic celebrations, but today the siblings may not be together due to jobs, studies, or other reasons. So, now sisters send rakhi to their brothers through online rakhi stores and connect with them for celebrations.

If you are also looking to send Rakhi to Canada or any other location where your brother is staying, then Rakhi.in is your answer. This online rakhi store offers free rakhi delivery to international locations and cities in India with speedy delivery. So, send rakhi to your brother from miles away and wish him a very happy and prosperous Raksha Bandhan.