Raksha Bandhan

Festival day celebrated on the full moon
in the lunar month of Shravan
(July–August); this festival’s theme is the
bond of protection (raksha) between
brother and sister. On this day sisters tie
(bandhan) a string around the brother’s
right wrist, which is sometimes just a
simple thread and sometimes an elaborately constructed ornamental bracelet.
Sisters then mark a tilak (tika) on the
brother’s forehead as a sign of respect
and feed their brothers sweets. For their
part, brothers give their sisters money,
clothing, jewelry, or other gifts.
As with the festival of Bhaiya Duj,
Raksha Bandhan symbolizes the protective bond between brothers and sisters.
In the long term, brothers are seen as
the family members who will protect
their sisters’ interests—since in many
cases daughters long outlive their
fathers and their brothers are the natal
relatives on whom they must depend.
Sisters perform these rites to protect
549
Raksha Bandhan
their brothers from misfortune—the
string tied around the wrist is believed
to ward off evil. The festival of Raksha
Bandhan is also performed by men and
women who are not related by blood but
who are close to one another. Tying on
the string “makes” them brother and sister, and thus rules out the potential for
any romantic involvement, which would
be seen as a form of incest.