BeaStKid Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection in Hindi) or Rakhi (राखी in Devanāgarī) is a Hindu festival and also Sikh festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Shravana and in 2007 it falls on August 28. The festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi, or holy thread by the sister on the wrist of her brother. The brother in return offers a gift to his sister and vows to look after her. The brother and sister traditionally feed each other sweets. It is still celebrated today, and the brother and sister have to treat each other well for the day. HAPPY RAKSHABANDHAN!!! The BeaStKid A Rakhi... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Administrator Graeme Posted August 28, 2007 Site Administrator Share Posted August 28, 2007 Sweet! And to anyone who may wonder, no, that's not a swastika on that wrist. The symbol in question pre-dates the Nazi era though I'll concede I don't know a lot of its history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaStKid Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 Sweet! And to anyone who may wonder, no, that's not a swastika on that wrist. The symbol in question pre-dates the Nazi era though I'll concede I don't know a lot of its history. It is a Hindu religious symbol. from -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SwastikaThe swastika (from Sanskrit sv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Administrator Graeme Posted August 28, 2007 Site Administrator Share Posted August 28, 2007 It is a Hindu religious symbol.The BeaStKid Thank you! I had a vague recollection on the Sanskrit connection, but that was all. Anyway, I don't want to hijack this thread so quickly, so back to Raksha Bandhan -- I think it's a great idea. While it may not be celebrated properly by every brother and sister, I can see how it encourages the bond between siblings and I can't see how that can be a bad thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaStKid Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 Thank you! I had a vague recollection on the Sanskrit connection, but that was all. Anyway, I don't want to hijack this thread so quickly, so back to Raksha Bandhan -- I think it's a great idea. While it may not be celebrated properly by every brother and sister, I can see how it encourages the bond between siblings and I can't see how that can be a bad thing It has been a tradition where the brother vows to protect his sister from harm and the little piece of thread she ties around his wrist is a symbol of that trust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ieshwar Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 When I'm typing these words, I have a rakhi adorning my right wrist! And songs on 'raksha bandhan' playing in the background. This festival is a nice occasion to spare a bit of time for your siblings. Sometimes, brothers and sster don't hear about each other for months. I have already a blog entry about this! Happy Raksha Bandhan!! Take care, Ieshwar P.S The swastika is an ancient Hindu symbol meaning prosperity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonoLuminus Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 This post brought back memories for me. In high school, I had a pen pal from India, who once sent me one of those, and explained the holiday to me. We had an interesting correspondence for several years. We lost touch a long time ago, but I sometimes wonder what happened to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 It is a Hindu religious symbol. The BeaStKid .....As a member of the Jewish faith, I thank-you for clarifing that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaStKid Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 .....As a member of the Jewish faith, I thank-you for clarifing that! My pleasure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Writes Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Well, as I am the only child of my parents, I don't have any siblings. But I got two Rakhis today from my two cousin "sisters" who stay in town. They came around at 1:00pm and made me wake up and go take a bath (Anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a morning person and I NEED atleast 12-14 hrs of sleep... Yeah right! Go ahead and call me a lazy A$$. I can't help it. I just love to sleep) Back to the Rakhi occassion.... Well, I got up, cleaned myself up and then they came and tied those beautiful threads with miniature teddys and a Ganesha in it. They were beautiful. My cousins then gave me a feast of my fav. sweets - Kaju Katli (Barfi), Gulab Jamuns, Moti-Pakh etc. Those sweets were delicious. But then came the demand thing I had to shelve out a 1000 bucks for each of them (Man, I need to curb their demands next year). But I got a kiss on either cheeks by both of them and I swear I would have turned pink if I had a Caucasian skin But the event was good and it ended with me promising to help, guide and protect them as long as I am on this earth Anyway, I just hope that this tradition should be celebrated by every brother and sister in this world as it helps in making the bond stronger and makes you feel more closer to each other HAPPY RAKSHABANDHAN to all !! PS. Thanks Beasty for starting this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaStKid Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 wow dhruv, that was sooo sweet!! but shelling out 2000!!! Damn that was expensive......but worth it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 What a nice tradition, holiday, and celebration. Happy Rakshabandhan! Krista Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Writes Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 wow dhruv, that was sooo sweet!! but shelling out 2000!!! Damn that was expensive......but worth it!! I know... :wacko: And you know, they are just 16 and 13 years old What a nice tradition, holiday, and celebration. Happy Rakshabandhan! Krista Mmhmm... its a beautiful celebration And thanks for the wishes, Krista! You go girl !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFriendlyFace Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Happy Rakshabandhan!! Sorry I'm late to this thread. I think this is a wonderful tradition! I wish they had something like that here! So tell me is there a corresponding holiday for two brothers or two sisters? All the best! Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaStKid Posted August 30, 2007 Author Share Posted August 30, 2007 Happy Rakshabandhan!! Sorry I'm late to this thread. I think this is a wonderful tradition! I wish they had something like that here! So tell me is there a corresponding holiday for two brothers or two sisters? All the best! Kevin Not that I know of, there aren't any festivals for same-sex siblings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Writes Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Happy Rakshabandhan!! Sorry I'm late to this thread. I think this is a wonderful tradition! I wish they had something like that here! So tell me is there a corresponding holiday for two brothers or two sisters? All the best! Kevin *Sigh* Wish there was one! But even thinking about that in India... totally not happening until the next millenia or maybe the next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 wow dhruv, that was sooo sweet!! but shelling out 2000!!! Damn that was expensive......but worth it!! .......How much is that in say English pounds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Writes Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 .......How much is that in say English pounds? To know the value, divide the amount by 70 and you'll get the value in pounds. I don't have/can't find a symbol on my keyboard to type the pound sign, so I am telling you the value in dollars... its $50. To know the value of a specific amount of rupees in dollars, divide the total by 40 and you'll get the value in dollars Yeah, I know it ain't too much when you say that in terms of dollars, but I only make about Rs. 2000 per month by working at the music store So its way too much for me :wacko: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaStKid Posted August 31, 2007 Author Share Posted August 31, 2007 To know the value, divide the amount by 70 and you'll get the value in pounds. I don't have/can't find a symbol on my keyboard to type the pound sign, so I am telling you the value in dollars... its $50. To know the value of a specific amount of rupees in dollars, divide the total by 40 and you'll get the value in dollars Yeah, I know it ain't too much when you say that in terms of dollars, but I only make about Rs. 2000 per month by working at the music store So its way too much for me :wacko: Dhruv, you have to bear in mind that even a ₤28 gift or a $50 gift is quite high in terms of their currency. Imagine that a few years ago ( I think it is still there but I don't know about their price rise index so can't comment) you could buy an ince-cream sundae for $0.50!! Could you ever buy one here for 50 paise????! So, the value for money is quite a lot there if you do not compare it in absolute terms with the Indian Rupee. If you want to tell them the absolute value in terms of PPP, then I think 2000 Rs would amount to $150 ( and that is being very modest) The BeaStKid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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