Celebrate the Festival of Raksha Bandhan in the Most Suitable Manner

All relationships in the human world are forged with love and affection. The understanding that two people share in a relation manifests their pledge of love and adoration for each other. The bond between brothers and sisters is very strong and beautiful. Siblings of the same parents are obviously in a fraternal relationship but in a society where the concept of joint family is still present the relation between cousin brothers and sisters is equally strong. In order to commemorate this beautiful relation, there is a specific occasion which is known as Raksha Bandhan. This is an auspicious event that is celebrated throughout India and involves the tying of a sacred thread on the brother's wrist by a sister.

·        The religious significance of the occasion of Raksha Bandhan:-

 The event is staged on the sacred day of Purnima or Full Moon day. In many households it is also a day for religious jubilation and pujas are conducted by people for ensuring prosperity and peace. The Raksha Bandhan ceremony is also akin to Puja where Aarti is also performed.

In the ceremonial procedure, a sister first uses vermilion to apply a tilak on the brother's forehead. Rice grains are pressed on the tilak which is considered auspicious. After doing the tilak, the Rakhi which is fashioned in the form of a wristlet is tied around the brother’s hand by the sister. Aarti is done by the sister showing her devotion towards this relation and then she offers sweetmeats to the beloved brother.

·      The popular customs associated with Raksha Bandhan celebration:-

With the tying of the thread of Rakhi, a brother promises to protect the honor of his sister in every circumstance and love her and respect their relationship forever. The penultimate step in this ritual is the exchange of gifts. Even though it is optional but still it has become the most exciting aspect of this ceremony.

Brothers and sisters both bring gifts for one another and celebrate this day with their family and relatives. If the brother in law is married, then a form of dangling Rakhi is also bought for the sister-in-law. This Rakhi is not tied around the sister-in-law's wrist, but instead, it is hooked into the bangle of the sister-in-law and hence dangles from it. This custom is especially followed by some specific communities to make the bride feel welcomed in the new family.

·         The changing aspects of the society that affects the conduction of such occasions:-

However, the concept of joint family is slowly dissipating in the Indian society, and people need to move abroad or outside the ancestral house in search of employment or for other reasons. Sometimes individuals also settle in a different country or state which makes it easier for them to balance their professional and personal commitments. But in this case, family get-togethers on such occasions might get a bit paler. However, as the generation has progressed and many changes have been introduced the connection to the root is made stronger by the presence of services that promote the fruition of the familial and ceremonial customs even if the near ones are living far away. Hence on the auspicious event of Raksha Bandhan, one can opt to send Rakhi to India online if she is staying aboard.

·         The value of online services that support the custom of Raksha Bandhan:-

The purpose of such services is to maintain the bond in the face of changing times.  Usually, such service providers are present online in the form of a shopping site but are solely dedicated for catering to specific ceremonies. Rakhi is a time of festivity and the bond shared by the brother and sister is kept intact by allowing individuals to select a superbly designed Rakhi from the available range of products and then addressing it to be sent to the brother through online transaction.

The well designed online Rakhi shops do not simply house a number of differently styled Rakhis but also includes gift options for both brothers and sisters. The little brothers and young sisters can be adequately entertained by procuring a child suitable Rakhi gift from online stores. The changing tastes have prompted people to buy fewer gifts and invest more in Gift cards or vouchers. All siblings and cousins know the common likes and dislikes of their sisters and brothers so instead of buying a gift and thinking whether it will be well-liked or not it is far better to present the loved one with a gift card which will definitely bring a smile upon his/her lips.

Hence, it is no longer difficult to hit the celebratory note of a particular occasion due to distance or time issues because the online shops are there to aid a person and make those occasion not only beautiful but memorable too.