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Importance and Significance of Rakshabandhan

Niranjan Bhombe

Prachi Athavale

11 August 2022

"This festival goes back a long way telling us or making us understand that....."

Rakhi Purnima is one of the first prominent festivals of Shravan after Nagpanchami which is celebrated by public gatherings or small get-togethers with relatives and close ones.


Rakhi Purnima according to the Hindu religion is the last Purnima of Shravan month. On this day in Maharashtra, there are 2 traditional rituals followed. The Rakhi Purnima is celebrated in North and West Bharat while Narali Pournima is celebrated only in the West part of Bharat.


Rakhi Purnima popularly known as Raksha Bandhan is a traditional way of expressing love, care and affection between brothers and sisters. It is a day on which there is a give and take of a promise of a lifetime between brothers and sisters to be together forever and, to care for and protect each other.


Rakhi Purnima celebration traditionally happens by tying Rakhi by a sister and while the brother gifts something to his sister. This old tradition is made because unlike today as it was in the ancient times, women were solely dependent upon the male members of the family in every way financially, physically and emotionally. No woman earned her living nor was she capable of protecting herself physically. Moreover, there were many restrictions imposed on her by traditional Indian society, culture and piarticularly religion. This made it necessary for women to make it a point that they have the strong support of male members of the family with them.


To make sure that they are not left out or cut off from the maternal family and to make sure that there is someone she would rely on totally in the absence of her father this ritual mattered a lot.


This festival made sure that every girl in the family is celebrated on this day and is promised the support of the maternal family both before and after marriage.


In this festival, it is made sure that the sister is benefited with gifts in monetary or in-kind so that she can save the same for her little needs in future for her family and herself.


The brother would gift something to her as he promises to protect her in future so that he also shares her responsibility with their father reflecting his fatherly presence in her life.


This festival goes back a long way telling us or making us understand that in a world full of difficulties for women someone must make her feel good and should be bound to take responsibility if something goes wrong in her life and to stay connected to her whenever and however possible. This festival makes us understand the importance of the brother-sister bond apart from them just being related to each other because of their parents and their genes.


Narali Purnima :-


The other festival celebrated in India on the same day is Narali Purnima. Narali Purnima is celebrated in the coastal region of western India. This festival is celebrated by those who live near coastal regions and those who depend on coastal regions for their living.


On this day the coastal families or community use coconut i.e. Nariyal/Naral as an offering to the sea which is a kind of request or prayer to Varun Dev the god of the sea, sky and earth/nature. This offering is made to pray to god during the times of the rainy season/monsoon/Shravan. This offering is a prayer to god by fisherm

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