Happy Raksha Bandhan : The festival of Rakshabandhan is a symbol of brother-sister love.
Raksha Bandhan, also referred to as Rakhi is celebrated annually to mark the beautiful bond between brothers and sisters. Every year, the festival of Raksha Bandhan falls on the full moon day in the month of Shravana in the Hindu calendar. Like every year, there is some buzz on social media about the dates of the festival. Some users are claiming that Raksha Bandhan 2023 will be celebrated on August 30, while others say the date is August 31.
A quintessential Raksha Bandhan celebration features sisters trying Rakhi on their brothers' wrists and receiving gifts in return. Rakhi Thali is also one of the most important parts of this festival, and sisters should decorate the thali and place all the essential pooja items in it.
Here are some important things to include in the Rakhi thali:
Rakhi
It goes without saying that a Rakhi should be kept in the thali. However, before the ceremony, one must keep the rakhi plate in the place of worship or temple, and offer rakhi to Bal Gopal or your Ishta Devta.
Tilak of Kumkum
Sindoor or Kumkam which represents the goddess Lakshmi is applied on a brother's forehead after tying the Rakhi. The auspicious tilak ensures wealth and prosperity for him in the long run.
Akshata
Akshata is basically unbroken white rice used for worship. You can keep the rice in a small bowl and apply it after Tilak on your brother's forehead.
Sandalwood:
It is believed that sandalwood brings calmness. By applying sandalwood on the forehead, the brother gets the blessings of Lord Vishnu and Ganesha, and his mind remains calm.
Diyas:
Lighting diyas brings positivity and indicates new moments and happy beginnings. After lighting a diya on a Rakhi plate, perform the aarti of your brother. The fire deity resides in the diya, which is auspicious in any religious ceremony.
Sweets
On the auspicious occasion, there must be sweets on the Rakhi plate. Sweets are offered to brothers after the completion of the Tilak and Raksha thread ceremony. It is a belief that by feeding sweets to the brother on this day, the sweetness remains in the relationship.