Raksha Bandhan

Culture of origin: Hindu · Cultural

Holiday sources: Hinduism

Raksha Bandhan, "the bond of protection", celebrates the tie between brothers and sisters. Sisters of all ages tie a rakhi, a talisman or amulet, around their brothers' wrists, symbolically protecting them, and receive a gift in return; the brothers take on a share of responsibility for their care. Drik Panchang puts the rite in the late afternoon (aparahna), or in the evening if the afternoon is not available, and never in the inauspicious Bhadra period, which covers the first half of the full-moon tithi.