This is the poja thali i have arranged for Gauri ,my five and a half year old daughter......tomorrow she is going to tie RAKHI(a band of protection) on her kid brother 's wrist.Raksha bandhan is a festival celebrating the sacred,precious and loving relation of a brother and a sister.....the sister ties a rakhi on her brother's wrist praying for his well-being while the brother pledges to protect her against all the harms,troubles and difficulties.
This festival falls every year on Shravan-purnima(i.e. mostly August)......this thali has a diya(lamp),rakhis,roli-chandan(used to mark a tilak on brother's forehead),flowers to shower on his head after tying rakhi and five different varieties of sweets to offer the brother....brothers are treated like kings on this day.In return brother gifts sister either some money or any other thing she desires........me and my sister always got money in return ,which use to make us very happy.....next day we used the money to buy candies or ice creams from small shops just outside our school campus.In Assam this festival is not observed as such but i have introduced this to my family.....from the year i got married i started tying rakhis to my brother-in-laws ....they too enjoy the festival as much as i do...
The doll rakhi is the one Gauri selected for her brother,for my brother the one with red and blue stones,the red threads for all the members of the family and the big pendulous one for my Lord Krishna.......my brother lives in Delhi , at this time of year when our kid's schools are in, it is not possible to visit each other so i always mail him rakhi which is tied by my younger sister on his wrist........i tie rakhi to the idols of Lord Ganesha,Krishna and Shirdi Sai baba.....i have been doing this for the last 15 years....may be one of these years i get lucky to tie rakhi on my brother's wrist in person...
relationships are the essence of life,festivals like this brings family together.....we may not be together but this festival makes me and my brother remember each other fondly ....
This festival falls every year on Shravan-purnima(i.e. mostly August)......this thali has a diya(lamp),rakhis,roli-chandan(used to mark a tilak on brother's forehead),flowers to shower on his head after tying rakhi and five different varieties of sweets to offer the brother....brothers are treated like kings on this day.In return brother gifts sister either some money or any other thing she desires........me and my sister always got money in return ,which use to make us very happy.....next day we used the money to buy candies or ice creams from small shops just outside our school campus.In Assam this festival is not observed as such but i have introduced this to my family.....from the year i got married i started tying rakhis to my brother-in-laws ....they too enjoy the festival as much as i do...
The doll rakhi is the one Gauri selected for her brother,for my brother the one with red and blue stones,the red threads for all the members of the family and the big pendulous one for my Lord Krishna.......my brother lives in Delhi , at this time of year when our kid's schools are in, it is not possible to visit each other so i always mail him rakhi which is tied by my younger sister on his wrist........i tie rakhi to the idols of Lord Ganesha,Krishna and Shirdi Sai baba.....i have been doing this for the last 15 years....may be one of these years i get lucky to tie rakhi on my brother's wrist in person...relationships are the essence of life,festivals like this brings family together.....we may not be together but this festival makes me and my brother remember each other fondly ....
great post..real bonding..u r one person so amazingly affectionate..keep up the cheers K..and wish u all the best for future..
ReplyDeleteWow that's very nice, do you sell what you make? Its great to have esp. for the kids..
ReplyDelete@Ramesh...thank you .
ReplyDelete@Marveling...thanks...no not me but these Rakhis are easily available on-line .I bought these from a store nearby my home.
this is a really meaningful and loving festival. Viva brothers and sisters. I wish them to have the protection against all evil things in life and all the benediction they need.
ReplyDeleteGreat poja thali by the way.
lovely traditions, I am an only child so have missed the sibling relationships though I have some close cousins.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like another lovely tradition. Thanks for sharing this custom.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you and your brother and all the family members, kavita!
ReplyDeleteWe, South Indians don't celebrate this festival, but I like this festival. When we were in Hosur, we had some Maharashtrian friends and girls in their families, used to tie raakhees on my sons' wrists. We used to get them by post for some years. Now the girls are married and are in different places. But we remember them on this day.
yes nice post kavita. what else is news????
ReplyDelete@LZ...thank you,its very nice of you ..your message touched my heart...thanks from all of us.
ReplyDelete@Lin..i have one brother of my own but a huge bulk of mails go to many cousins of mine....i have 6 uncles and three aunts(dad's sis) and 6aunts(mom's sis)and two maternal uncles....many of my cousins are single child too.
@Sandhya...yes,when friends become closer ..the kids between the families do share this festival...its lovely that your sons got to experience this .
This is a nice custom in your culture.
ReplyDeleteThanks for helping me to make history.
Pick a Peck of Pixels
Such a beautiful festival...wonderful traditions!
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed this post & realize how much love you share with your family!
It's a blessing for all of you!
Thank you for this lovely post & the pics are great!
@Abe ,Margie....thanks a lot.
ReplyDeleteHi Kavi !!
ReplyDeleteReally nice to get this e-rakhi from you. Infact just this morning I got the ones that you sent. Miss u sis !!
Next year let's do this in real world and not virtual. Love you !! Miss you !!
Love always !!
Jitu
That is a great thali! Wishing you guys have loads of fun on Raksha Bandhan
ReplyDeleteKavita, I don't know if my comment was seen by you. If so, please delete this comment and respond to the earlier one, instead.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to know how long the rakhi is worn. Is it one day or one year?
When the rakhi is removed, is it thrown away or kept as a souvenir?
I think it is wonderful that you have a close relationship with your brother.
@Indidoc(Jitu).....ishwaer tumheare saath rahe hemesha.love you too.
ReplyDelete@Nona...thank you.
@Gigi....some wear this rakhi for as long as they want to,some remove it the next day...if the rakhi is big we in my home remove it the next day and keep it in a box as a souvenir like you said.
The thin thread ones are worn for a long time and removed once the thread is worn out...we dispose it under a tree or immerse it in a river or pond. i keep it under Tulsi(basil plant ).
Yes,all three of us have a very close relationship...we hope that we pass it on to our kids too.
Lovely..I was not sure how this thali is arranged. I will do a similar arrangement for my 10 year old daughter next year. She just loved it when she tied Rakhi for her brother for the first time today. We generally do not follow this tradition. Although I do keep a track of this day every year.
ReplyDeleteGreasat Post and a great blog
that was lovely. all your photographs provide a glimpse of your life. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteI have always missed having a brother while growing up. I used to feel all upset at festivals like rakhi and bhai dooj, but now I am ok. Having a girl and a boy its a boon that I can relive my childhood wishes..so we are doing a rakhi today too at my place!! Yipppeeee
ReplyDeletelearning more and more from every post!! seems like a great tradition!!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures and a nice blog.My belated Raksha bandhan wishes to you.
ReplyDeleteCheers!!
Rakhi gifts to Hyderabad,Raksha Bandhan gifts to Secunderabad,sweets,Send Flowers to Hyderabad,Guntur,India by Us2guntur|Rakhi gifts to Hyderabad,Raksha Bandhan gifts,flowers to hyderabad,Secundrabad by Hyderabadbazaar
Hey K, Hiiii
ReplyDeleteMy Dear Kind Sister,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for your affectionate wishes and blessings for me on RAKSHA-BANDHAN.
I was a little late in responding but I felt very happy and was smiling all through the day after receiving your caring words :)
Didi, here I send my sincere thanks to you from the bottom of my heart for the sacred Rakhi which you virtually tied to my wrist yesterday through your words on my blog post :)
So, what gifts should I give you? - how about buying for you some very special candies and tasty lip-smacking ice creams? ha ha... :)
My warm hugs to both your cute and sweet little kids. I hope that their cheeks turned rosy with brightly glowing smiles as the little sister tied Rakhi to her kid brother :)
Dear Kavita Didi, I wish that our bond will last for long as you strengthen it year by year by tying virtual Rakhis to my wrist every year ha ha... :)
I showed this post to Ma, she told me to convey her good luck wishes to you and to all your family members, take care, always keep smiling :)
I'll miss your updates. Take care and we cant wait for you to come back :)
ReplyDeleteThe thali arrangement was awesome Kavita.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I do not have a son and my daughters do nothing special that day.
But I send a rakhi to my brother who stays in Kolkata and my daughters send rakhis to his son.
This is such a beautiful Indian festival. I love it.
Your daughter's doll rakhi was very pretty. Best wishes to your children.
Lovely informative blog from a different culture. Everything is so fasinating and colourful I wish I could spend some time over there.
ReplyDeleteWow so much of love in this post kavitha.I love the way u write,chumma on ur hands.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet gauri selected the gift,how hold is she??
Hugs to both the kids :)
Hi :)
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post and I loved what you said...it is so true!..."relationships are the essence of life,festivals like this brings family together..."
Thanks for sharing. :)
Hi..kavi..sharjah remembers u...take care...
ReplyDeleteHi Kavita ba,
ReplyDeletebablu da told me about "My Room"n today i went thru it .
Kavita ba u r doing a wonderful job ,everything is v nice- from writings to the photos .
Do let me know more about it.
love -boni
I love to hear and read about traditions and it is nice to know some are still celebrated. A very nice post, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteinterestinmg and what a sweet gesture!!!
ReplyDeletewish I had a brother or a sister!
But at least my sons are happy brothers...!
Hi Kavita !! Wish you belated Raksha Bandhan !! I loved this post because my sister got married and has gone to Pune and this Rakhi she didn't came neither i went there and we were unable to meet..That's sad but we had a chat on phone on that day so i am happy..This really recharged me..Thanks DIDI...:)...
ReplyDeleteVery beautifully described about Rakshabandhan.I liked it very much.Infact your each and every post is fantastic.Keep writing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful, important custom, Kavita. I wish we had something like tht here. I know my son and daughter are very protective of one another and cherish their relationship. Thank goodness.
ReplyDeletehamen bhi yah sab padh kar badaa acchha laga...sach....!!
ReplyDeleteI really respect this aspect of your culture. So many of us in the states seem to forget the paramount significance of family...
ReplyDeleteWhere are you? Happy Independence Day kavita!! Come back soon missing your posts and comments.
ReplyDeletekaviii...thanks a tonne for your wishes...
ReplyDeletegorgeous !... images of Rakhi ....beautiful....
ReplyDeletekaviii..gr8 2 hear fm u...thanks for staying connected and all the wishes yar..i am better now though cold is refusing to leave me..anywy take care..regards..
ReplyDeleteWe have much to learn from you and your festivals. I am afraid we do not have anything similar to tell you about or show you but maybe in the next life. Thanks for your visits to my blog and for your generous and kind comments.
ReplyDeleteYour photography is excellent.
r u back?? please say YES
ReplyDeletedesde argentina estamos conociendo su blog y un poco sus costumbres. Esto es lo maravilloso de internet. saludos
ReplyDeletewww.eldesafiodelamor.es.tl
यह बंधन तो भावनाओं का है जिसकी कोई सीमा नहीं ...इसको तो ईश्वर ने खुद बनाया है ...कभी हमारे ब्लॉग पर भी दस्तक दे.....
ReplyDeletekaviii,,,how r u doing? hope all ok...take care..
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tradition. It must be hard not to see your brother, but how nice to have your children participate.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased you are following my blog. Thank you. I look forward to more of your writing as well.
Kumaoni Nath photographs are amazing!!
ReplyDeleteThese ladies are so gorgeous..I am sure you too would have one such photo of yours wearing Nath..pls post.
SP
Good day !.
ReplyDeleteYou re, I guess , probably very interested to know how one can manage to receive high yields .
There is no initial capital needed You may commense to receive yields with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.
AimTrust is what you haven`t ever dreamt of such a chance to become rich
The company incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.
It is based in Panama with structures around the world.
Do you want to become an affluent person?
That`s your chance That`s what you desire!
I`m happy and lucky, I started to get income with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. If it gets down to select a correct partner who uses your savings in a right way - that`s AimTrust!.
I make 2G daily, and my first investment was 500 dollars only!
It`s easy to get involved , just click this link http://ydyvumak.the-best-free-web-hosting.com/domakaz.html
and lucky you`re! Let`s take our chance together to get rid of nastiness of the life
Hi! I wanted to ask if I've been wearing a rakhi for 1 year, can I still wear it with the new rakhi?? Please reply as quick as possible! Thanks!!!! :D
ReplyDeleteHi! I wanted to ask if I've been wearing a rakhi for 1 year, can I still wear it with my new rakhi???? Please reply as quickly as possible because today is raksha bandhan!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!! :D
ReplyDeleteHi! I wanted to ask if I've been wearing a rakhi for 1 year, can I still wear it with the new rakhi?? Please reply as quick as possible! Thanks!!!! :D
ReplyDelete