RAKSHA BANDHAN

Raksha bandhan, or Rakhi as it is popularly called, is celebrated in the month of August on the day of the full moon. Literally meaning "ties of protection", it commemorates the bond between siblings of the opposite sex. The practice often extends more generally to people of the opposite sex who are not biologically related, or people of the opposite sex who are not related as siblings. It has also been interpreted as a pledge by the strong to protect the weak.

Rakhi is widely celebrated across the nation. On the morning of the festival, women of all ages put a tikka of vermilion on their brother's foreheads, tie a ceremonial rakhi - which may be a colorful thread, a simple bracelet, or a decorative string - on their brother's wrists, and offer them mithai (sweets) after an arati (prayer). The brothers, in return, promise to love and protect their sisters, and gift them some money as a token of their affection.