Rakhi - A Special Day for Brothers and Sisters

Out of the many wonderful traditions that exist in the hearts of Indians is the day of Rakhi. The day symbolizes the love between brother and sister.  Such a bond is a gift that lasts a lifetime and is one of the foundations of building a successful life - where family stays with you through thick and thin to support you through your endeavours. Siblings share this special bond because they belong to the same generation and therefore live their full life together - unlike with their parents or children. By loving and caring, siblings are able to give each other the confidence that there is someone to support them as they take on new challenges. Life always poses many different challenges. Most of the time we are not prepared for this challenge as otherwise one wonders why the definition would not just be a simple obstacle. So the challenge becomes an obsession. One starts questioning their ability to overcome this difficulty and at times self-doubt begins to emerge. This then leads to a lack of confidence that results in a poor ability to face and conquer this obstacle. This is where a Rakhi sister comes in to play. She is able to gift her brother with the confidence that with her blessings, he has the backing and strength to overcome any obstacle. Her confidence in him helps him overcome the difficulties he is facing.

Rakhi is celebrated by undertaking a prayer followed by the sister tying a "Rakhi" to her brother. The Rakhi could be a simple thread or an elaborately decorated one.  The brother will take the blessings of his sister and present her with gifts. Frequently the sister will also give a Rakhi gift to her brother and this exchange of gifts symbolizes the love they have for each other. 

Since many a family is separated by long distances and at times it is not practical to meet in person, several new online gift shops have developed to send rakhi gifts to your loved ones. One such shop is www.redgiftshop.com that has a wide variety of gifts available for sale and one can access this site from any part of the world. Many Indians living in the UK and USA use this site to send Rakhi gifts to their loved ones in India.