Celebrating the Hindu Festival of Rakhi
Today Hindus around the world celebrate Rakhi, also called Raksha Bandhan. (We Hindus are many—1.5 billion!) This Hindu festival symbolizes the important relationship between siblings. Sister and brother get to express their tender love for each other and remember their loving memories, loyalty, closeness, trust, and friendship, which is everlasting and pure. Rakhi is celebrated every year on Shravan Purnima (Full Moon Day of the Hindu month of Shravan), which generally falls in the month of August.
The ritual of Raksha Bandhan includes the sister tying the sacred thread, called Rakhi or Raksha Sutra, on her brother’s wrist and offering him sweets. After the tying of Rakhi, the brother gives his sister a gift or some money and promises to be there whenever she needs him and protect her throughout her lifetime.
When I was young, I understood by seeing my parents how important this ritual was for us Hindus. I noticed the deep love between siblings, even when they were living in different countries and continents. Oceans apart, they still got to have each other.
My sisters and I used to tie Rakhi on our male cousins (because our brother was no longer in this world). As a female I felt a bit uncomfortable that the focus was on the boys and men. It reinforced being the second gender. I wanted Rakhi to be tied on my wrist, too.
When my daughter, son, and I celebrate Rakhi, we add a part to the ritual: my son also ties Rakhi on his sister and gives her sweets, and she gives him money or a gift and promises eternal help and protection. We are fully Hindus even though we have added this part to the ritual.
Celebrating Rakhi this year was even stronger than in previous years because in July I had attended the (first-ever) RC Hindu Liberation Workshop. It had reminded me that I can be visible as a Hindu living in a Christian-dominated country, that I don’t have to agree to hiding that important part of my life. This week I have been telling my work colleagues about Rakhi as a way to teach them about my religion and show more of myself as a Hindu female.
Reprinted from the RC e-mail
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