Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the full moon day – Sravana Purnima – in the month August/September. This is the day when every person can choose a brother or a sister towards whom he/she feels closely connected with the feeling of true brotherhood. The brother takes upon himself a life-long duty of protecting and taking care of his sister, and the sister promises a life-long love, support and understanding to her brother. This connection is considered to be stronger than the blood relationship.
On that day sisters tie around the brother’s wrist a holy thread – rakhi and thus express their love and affection, and in return the brother offers her sister a small gift and gives a promise to protect her and always be willing to help her. Raksha means protection and security, and bandhan means connection or relationship. Raksha Bandhan is a festival symbolizing the relationship between brothers and sisters through security and protection.
This day reminds us that the whole world is but one family. All people living on this planet should be our brothers and sisters. We should tie around each other’s wrists rakhis of mutual respect, understanding, protection, care and love, with brotherly feelings of protection and embrace mankind with sisterly love. All living beings should be felt as being our brothers and sisters.