Last Saturday the bond of love and duty between brother and sister was renewed as the Gladstone Indian Cultural Community celebrates “Raksha Bandhan”.

Raksha Bandhan also known as “Rakhi” is a Hindu festival but nowadays all Indians celebrate it all around the globe. It symbolises the relationship of brothers and sisters, and the care, love and protection that goes into it. The festival is celebrated every year during the month of Shravan of the Hindu lunisolar calendar (usually in August).

Raksha Bandhan translates to mean “knot or bond of protection”. This festival is well known for manifesting a strong bond between brothers and sisters. Rakshabandhan is an ancient concept where sister ties a rakhi (string) on the right hand of the brother. The rakhi was also given to many warriors before going to battle as a sign of pray and victory to be given to the person wearing it as a sign of protection.

The thread colour usually are orange, yellow, red or white. The rakhi is made of a string of varying colours with decorative designs using beads or flowers. GICC arranged sanctified Rakhis for all the attendants through Brisbane BAPS temple, a small video explaining all the rituals been displayed on the day.

The day of Rakhi is for bonding and fun and a major task on this day is ‘Shopping‘ – sisters purchase rakhis and their protective brothers purchase gifts for their lovely princesses. Then the ritual starts by lighting a diya which symbolises the fire deity. Then the ritual is carried on with prayers, aarti of the brother, and then gifts, hugs, promises, and tempting sweets. This festival nothing but promotes and strengthens the bond between brother and sister.