The Raksha Bandhan puja is a short, warm ritual in which a sister prepares a thali, applies a tilak to her brother's forehead, ties a rakhi on his right wrist, waves the aarti and feeds him a sweet, and the brother gives a gift and his promise of care. In outline: prepare the thali, wait for a time outside Bhadra, offer the first rakhi to the family deity, then the tilak, the rakhi, the aarti, the sweet and the gift.
The full moon day and the window for tying rakhi outside Bhadra in your city are on the Raksha Bandhan date page. This page does not give times, because Bhadra moves every year and from city to city.
Samagri: the rakhi thali
- A clean plate of steel, brass or silver
- Roli or kumkum, and a little water to mix it
- Akshat, a few grains of unbroken rice, for the tilak
- A small diya with ghee and a cotton wick
- The rakhi: a cotton or silk thread, a mauli, or a decorated rakhi
- A sweet: a piece of mithai, a laddu or a little sugar
- A small lota of water, some flowers, and in some families a coconut
- A kerchief or cap for the brother's head, where that is the custom
- An extra rakhi for the family's deity, and a few spare ones for cousins and friends who visit
Every item can be replaced by what is at hand. A piece of red thread and a pinch of sugar make a full rakhi.
Step by step
- Bath and a light morning. The sister bathes and, by custom in many homes, does not eat until she has tied rakhi. This is a custom only; eat if you need to, especially if you are pregnant, unwell or diabetic, or if the window outside Bhadra comes late.
- The family puja. Light a diya in the puja corner and tie the first rakhi on the family deity, often Krishna, Ganesha or Hanuman, or place it before their picture.
- Seat the brother. In the window outside Bhadra, the brother sits on a low stool or mat facing east, with his head covered by a kerchief or cap in many families. The sister faces him.
- Tilak. She applies a tilak of roli on his forehead and presses a few grains of akshat onto it, and may sprinkle a few grains over his head as a blessing.
- Tie the rakhi. She ties the rakhi on his right wrist, with a prayer in her own words for his long life and wellbeing. In some homes a short raksha prayer is said, remembering King Bali.
- Aarti. She waves the thali with the lit diya in a circle before him, usually three or seven times.
- Sweet. She feeds him a sweet, and he often feeds her one in return.
- Gift and promise. The brother touches her feet if she is older, or blesses her if younger, and gives a gift or money, with his promise to stand by her.
- A meal together. The family eats together; in many homes this is the best meal of the season.
If a brother lives far away, the rakhi is sent ahead and tied by a parent, a sister-in-law or the brother himself, often while the sister watches on a call. The love is the same.
Checking the time
On Raksha Bandhan the time that matters is Bhadra, a part of the day that panchang tradition keeps for neither beginnings nor blessings. Rakhi is avoided during Bhadra by custom, and in many years Bhadra covers the morning of Purnima, so families wait for it to end. The date page gives the window outside Bhadra for each city. Many families also avoid Rahu Kaal, and some like to tie rakhi in a good choghadiya. When Bhadra stretches across most of the day, families follow their priest or their elders; the thread tied with love is never wasted.
A folk saying explains the rule with Ravana's sister Shurpanakha, who is said to have tied his rakhi in Bhadra; it is a story, not a warning.
Customs families keep
These are customs, kept with affection; no step is a condition.
- Many sisters keep a light fast until the rakhi is tied.
- The rakhi is usually left on at least until Janmashtami or for some days; many take it off on a chosen day and place it in flowing water or a plant pot.
- Sisters tie rakhi to sisters, to cousins and to close friends; many women tie a rakhi to their sisters-in-law, called a lumba rakhi in Marwari and Gujarati homes, hung from the bangle.
- In some families the first rakhi of a newborn brother is tied with special ceremony.
- In the old way, the family priest ties a raksha thread on the wrists of his patrons on this day.
Regional ways and the same full moon
- Shravani or Upakarma: Brahmin families change their sacred thread on this full moon, after a bath and prayers, and begin the year's study of the Vedas anew. In the south the same rite is called Avani Avittam.
- Narali Purnima: on the coast of Maharashtra and Goa, fishing communities offer coconuts to the sea, marking the end of the monsoon storms and the start of the fishing season.
- Kajari Purnima: in some regions the full moon is known by this name and is linked with the sowing season and the songs of the rains.
- North India: sisters travel to their brothers' homes, and in many towns kite-flying and fairs fill the day.
- Gujarat and Rajasthan: the lumba rakhi for sisters-in-law, and rakhis tied to the family's deity.
After the puja
Share the sweets, and keep a rakhi aside for anyone who could not come. The other festival of brothers and sisters is Bhai Dooj, after Diwali. The stories behind the thread are on the Raksha Bandhan katha page, and the festival of serpents earlier in the same fortnight is Nag Panchami.