Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan symbolises the bond of love between a brother and a sister. On this sacred festival, Indiaparenting brings to you a Raksha Bandhan Special which includes articles, mouth watering recipes, e- greetings and some tips to design handmade colourful rakhis with your kids which will be treasured for a life time.

1) My Brother My Friend :

The sun began to rise and peaked through the curtains. Today was Raksha Bandhan and the house was full of festivities. Everyone was up early preparing for the pooja and afterwards the sister would tie the rakhi onto her brother. Little Nisha was five years old and very excited. Her mummy had dressed her up in a little green choli.

The pooja was over and Nisha’s mom told her to sit down next to her brother, Anooj, who was seven years old. Her mom sat down next to her and the rest of the family sat around them. Nisha’s mom took little Nisha’s ring finger and dipped into a red liquid full of rice bits. Nisha giggled as she poked her brother on the forehead and made a chandla. Anooj squirmed and scowled as he did not like chandlas.

“Come on smile, Anooj,” coaxed the mother.

Then Nisha’s mom took out a shiny red rakhi. It had colorful beads in the center and had a silver border. It sparkled when the sun hit against it. Nisha grabbed the rakhi and struggled as she tried to tie it around her brother’s wrist. Finally, she gave up and asked her mom to help her tie it. Anooj stared at the rakhi. He actually loved rakhis, but would never tell anyone. Anooj’s mouth watered as he knew what was next.
Two big rasgolas sat in a plate next to Nisha. Nisha grabbed the big, white spongy sweet and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Mmmm..,” said Anooj.

He sat there munching for a couple of minutes relishing the taste as everyone in the family laughed. Anooj was about to grab the second rasgola, but then realized he had to feed it to Nisha. She sat there open mouth waiting for the sweet to tingle her taste buds.

After the sweets, Nisha waited for her gift. The mother had given some money to Anooj to give to Nisha, but Anooj thought it would be funny to tease Nisha. However, his mom realized what Anooj was up to and gave him a hard look. Anooj sighed and took out the envelope tucked into his pocket. He handed it over to Nisha and she gleamed. Nisha hugged Anooj and held onto the envelope letting no one see it. The ceremony was over, but the love between Anooj and Nisha would never end.

2) History of Raksha Bandhan:

Raksha Bandhan” is an Indian festival that celebrates the sacred relationship between brother and sister; it is the reaffirmation of a relationship in which a brother must love and protect his sister as long as he lives. The festival is celebrated according to the Hindu calendar on the full moon day in the month of Shravana, which occurs sometime in July-August.

Legend has it that Shravana, a pious and dutiful son of blind parents, set out one day to a lake in the jungle to fill a pitcher of water for them as they were feeling thirsty. King Dasharatha, Lord Rama’s father was out hunting in that very jungle. When he heard the gurgling sound of the water entering the pitcher, he mistook it to be a thirsty deer. He shot off an arrow in that direction. The arrow pierced Shravana’s heart. It is believed that Shravana did not have a sister to tie a rakhi on his wrist to protect him from danger.

According to another legend, Sachi, the wife of Lord Indra, tied a silken thread around the wrist of her husband when he was going to fight the asuras. He eventually won the battle and attributed it to the tying of the thread, which he thought was an auspicious act.

On the day of Raksha Bandhan, everyone in the house is up early and gets dressed in fine clothes. The puja room is swept clean. A puja thaali containing water, rice, flowers, a coconut and rakhis is first placed in front of the God. The mistress of the house then conducts the puja by bathing the deity and tying a rakhi on it. Rice from the thaali is then showered on the God and the ritual thus ends. The remaining rakhis in the puja thaali are then tied to the male members of the family.

To celebrate Raksha Bandhan, the sister ties a rakhi on the right hand wrist of her brother to protect him from all evil. She then puts a teeka on his forehead. With this rakhi, the sister bestows blessings on her brother and it is a symbol of the deep affection between brother and sister. As is the tradition with most Hindu customs, auspicious occasions are not complete without platters of sweets. Thus, after the sister applies teeka to her brother’s forehead, they feed each other sweets. The brother accepts the rakhi with grace and love, and in return provides the sister with his unstinted support and protection. He then gives the sister a little gift as a token, often in the form of money.

If Raksha Bandhan is a working day, the family members then carry on with their daily routine. Otherwise, these festivities continue with a hearty meal and the family spends the rest of the day together. Men generally keep their teeka and wear their rakhis the entire day (some even for the next couple of days), as it is a matter of pride to show that one is loved and cared for at home. Most of the little boys in the family feel really bad if they don’t have a rakhi to show off.

Rakhis come in different shapes and sizes to suit everyone’s taste. There are flashy, multicoloured rakhis to suit the more flamboyant and the plain and unvarnished variety for the sober. There are white rakhis, blue rakhis, orange and pink rakhis, striped rakhis and….the list is endless.

Rakhis transcend all age barriers. A seven-year-old as well as a seventy-year-old sports a rakhi with pride. Raksha Bandhan is such a popular custom that even girls who do not have a brother will adopt one for the occasion in order to forge a bond of love and protection.

3)Mouth watering Recipes :

Desserts / Indian Sweets

Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey. Treat your kids to a delicious desert every day! Cakes, mousses, souffles, gulab jamun! They'll wait for dinner every night! Make sure they brush their teeth afterwards!!

Indian Sweets

Thore-A sindhi speciality Indiaparenting

Mohan Thal Indiaparenting

Gujhia Indiaparenting

Coconut Barfi Indiaparenting

Balushahi Indiaparenting

Chiku Barfi Indiaparenting

Malpua Indiaparenting

Seviyan Kheer Indiaparenting

Gajar Ka Halva Indiaparenting

Choco Balls Indiaparenting

Mixed Fruit Cream Indiaparenting

Thandai Indiaparenting

Phirni Indiaparenting

Teel Poli Of Maharashtra Indiaparenting

Til Gajak Of Punjab Indiaparenting

Sweet Pongal Of Tamil Nadu Indiaparenting

Rasmalai Padma

Banana Delight Trupti

Vermicille Kheer Ritu

Badam Burfi Bhavani Giri

Shahi Kheer Kavita. S

Peanut Barfi Lakshmi. S

Banana Sheera Smita Nadgir

Custard Apple Pais Smita Nadgir

Anjeer Burfi Smita Nadgir

Anokha Burfi Smita Nadgir

Fresh Peach Halwa Smita Nadgir

Rabdi Ke Sang Boondi Smita Nadgir

Somasi Akila

Quick Rasmalai Archana

Vermicelli Sababd

Sweet potatoes Sujaya

Besan Ladoo SABABD

Carrot Kheer Bhuvana Logesh

Carrot Kheer Bhuvana Logesh

ROLLY POLLY GAYATHRI PREM

jhatpat sooji burfu tasneem afshan

Kaju Burfi Shaoli

Carrot Suji Kheer shivani

RASGULLA VEENA

Sweet puries Diptee pande

Mango Delight Disha Ailani

Gurvani ketal

Kalakand Pratibha

Very easy banana nut bread madhavi

Meetha Ghoday Sadiya Fatima

Wheat Laddoo Precyla

Besan ka Laddoo Shilpa Suryavamshi

Instant Rabdi Leena

Roshagullas PJP

Basmati Rice Kheer Shilpa Suryavamshi

Basmati Rice Kheer Shilpa Suryavamshi

Sponge Cake Shilpa Suryavamshi

matar ke kheer aruna singh

matar ke kheer aruna singh

Sweet roundals Prachi

MANGO PHIRNI ARSHI

MANGO PHIRNI ARSHI

Jhatpat Gulabjamun nikita

International Desserts

Fudge Fingers Indiaparenting

Chocolate Cones Indiaparenting

Brownies Indiaparenting

Chocolate Macaroons Indiaparenting

Chocolate Muffins Indiaparenting

Florentine Biscuits Indiaparenting

Caramel Brownies Indiaparenting

Pinwheel Circles Indiaparenting

Marshmallow Delight Indiaparenting

Fudge Indiaparenting

White Chocolate Truffles Indiaparenting

Quick Pineapple Souffle Indiaparenting

Banana With Cherry Sauce Indiaparenting

Banana Pudding Indiaparenting

Christmas Fruit Bar Indiaparenting

Frozen chocolate cake Indiaparenting

Orange Ice Cream Indiaparenting

Christmas Fruit Salad Indiaparenting

Fruit Cake Delight Asha

Hard Pineapple Souffle Casandra John

Kynuté Ovacné Knedliky Kevin Tighe

No Fuss Brownies kavita

Sweet Balls Vimala

Icing for Cakes Sababd

Brown Betty Sheeba Thomas

Apple Pie Nidhi

Caramel Pudding Bhuvana Logesh

Lemon Souffle Merlyn Shenoy

Chocolate Brownie Deepika

Plain Cake Asmita

Mango Dessert Pratibha

Wattallappa Doreen

Sponge Cake Shilpa

Cholclate Pudding Vinutha Prashanth

VALENTINE SPECIAL - STRAWBERRY GENOISE CAKE ARSHI

Eggless Chocolate Cake DISHA AILANI

Main Course

Simmi Jaya

Mango Curry Sangeeta Kalgaonkar

Moong Daal ka Chilla Deepmala

Starters and Snacks

Thanda Thandai Smita Nadgir

Chocolate Cake Simran

Cookies Simran

4)Designing A Rakhi:

What you need:

Thin Cardboard
Red Craft Paper
Coloured Sponge
Fevicol
Pencil
Decorative small sequins
Decorative small stars
Scissors
Fancy Thread or Satin Ribbon

Lets Begin:

1. Take a thin cardboard, and cut it into a small circular shape.
2. Stick the red craft paper on the cardboard with Fevicol.
3. With the help of the scissors cut the edges of the circle into a zig-zag shape.
4. Take a thin coloured sponge, and cut it according to the same size of the cardboard.
5. Give zig-zag shaped edges to the round sponge as well.
6. Stick the sponge over the cardboard.
7. With a pencil draw a plus sign on the spunch. Make sure you draw the line with very lightly, or else it might tear the delicate sponge.
8. Stick the whole plus sign with stars.
9. In the remaining area, stick colourful small sequins.
10. On the back of the cardboard, stick the fancy colourful threads available in the market or use a satin ribbon, long enough to be tied on the wrist.