Raksha Bandhan, the full moon of Shravan, is the festival of brothers and sisters and one of the most widely kept days in the north. A sister ties a rakhi on her brother's right wrist, puts a tilak on his forehead and a sweet in his mouth; he gives her a gift and his word. Married women travel to their parents' homes for it, and trains and buses are full for days.
The story
Before a battle with the demons, Indra's wife Shachi tied a consecrated thread on his wrist, and he won. Lakshmi tied one on King Bali and asked for her husband back. Draupadi bound Krishna's cut finger with a strip of her sari, a debt he repaid when she was dragged into court.
A much-told story from Rajasthan has Rani Karnavati of Chittor send a rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun when her fort was besieged. Historians doubt it; the north tells it anyway, as a story about what the thread asks.
येन बद्धो बली राजा दानवेन्द्रो महाबलः । तेन त्वामभिबध्नामि रक्षे मा चल मा चल ॥
With that by which the mighty demon king Bali was bound, I bind you. O protection, do not waver, do not waver
Said while the thread is tied
How the day goes
- The thaliA plate with the rakhi, roli, rice, a lamp and sweets is prepared; the sister does arati before tying the thread.
- The muhuratThe rakhi is not tied during Bhadra; families wait for it to pass, and the afternoon is preferred.
- Shravani UpakarmaBrahmins change the sacred thread at a river bank on the same morning.
- SweetsGhevar in Rajasthan, and everywhere kaju katli, rasgulla and soan papdi by the box.
- Rakhi by postSisters who cannot travel send the thread; the postal service sells special envelopes for it.
Why this date
Raksha Bandhan is the full-moon tithi of Shravan. The thread is tied in the afternoon (aparahna) of the day the tithi is present, and never during Bhadra, the first half of the tithi.
Raksha Bandhan in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Saturday | |
| 2026 | Friday | |
| 2027 | Tuesday | |
| 2028 | Saturday | |
| 2029 | Friday | |
| 2030 | Tuesday |
More North Indian festivals
4 SeptemberKrishna Janmashtamiश्री कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी
29 JulyGuru Purnimaगुरु पूर्णिमा
14 SeptemberGanesh Chaturthiगणेश चतुर्थी
25 JulyDevshayani Ekadashiदेवशयनी एकादशी
19 AprilAkshaya Tritiyaअक्षय तृतीया
19 OctoberDurga Ashtamiदुर्गा अष्टमी
Where to see Raksha Bandhan
In North India
- Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazaar, DelhiDelhiThe wholesale rakhi markets of the north, packed for a fortnight before.
- Har Ki Pauri, HaridwarUttarakhandShravani Upakarma is performed on the ghats, and the Kanwar season has just closed.
- PushkarRajasthanPriests renew the sacred thread on the ghats of the lake.
Across India
- AmarnathJammu and KashmirThe Chhari Mubarak, Shiva's mace, reaches the cave and the yatra ends on this full moon.
- PuriOdishaKept as Gamha Purnima, the birthday of Balabhadra.
- The Konkan coastMaharashtraNarali Purnima: fishing communities offer coconuts to the sea.