Out of many festivals celebrated in India, Raksha Bandhan is the most awaited by many nationwide. This unique festival celebrates the everlasting bond of brothers and sisters. Many mythological stories and legends depict how deep the love of brothers and sisters is, even ones that are not blood-related. Some of these stories convey how powerful the rakhi thread is and how much it is revered by those performing this ritual. 

Just like the story of Draupadi and Krishna, they were siblings not related by blood but purely attached to the strings of the heart and the sacred rakhi. Draupadi had always tied a rakhi to Krishna, and as a brother’s duty, he came to his rakhi sister Draupadi’s rescue in time. Many such stories in Hindu scriptures and even history showcase how a rakhi bond helped brothers and sisters come to each other’s aid. 

So, what exactly is a rakhi? It’s sacred thread that signifies a bond of protection. It’s tied around a brother’s wrist by her sister. And the brother promises to protect his sister always. And this bond is not limited to blood siblings. 

Do you want to celebrate this festival by properly following the rakhi tying rituals with your brother? That’s great, as below we have provided a guide on how to tie a rakhi step by step. Follow the steps below to tie your brother a rakhi the right way. 

Gather all the items for the rakhi tying ritual

Below are the most necessary items that you will require for your rakhi tying ceremony: 

• A rakhi
• Roli tika and rice
• Diya
• Sweets, dry fruits, or chocolate
• Gift for brother

How to perform the Raksha Bandhan ritual

Below is the guide to tying rakhi to brother step by step:

Know the auspicious time for tying a rakhi

Many Hindus perform certain poojas or sacred rituals at auspicious dates and timings, which are found according to the movement of the celestial bodies and the Hindu calendar. It is also suggested to avoid tying the rakhi during the Bhadra Kaal as it is considered inauspicious. However, you may avoid this based on your personal or individual beliefs, faiths, and engagements.

Get ready

Of course, you must get dressed up and ready for the sacred festival. As it’s an old and traditional festival, you can be best dressed and celebrate the occasion in its true essence by dressing up traditionally, but this is optional. You can wear a kurta, pajama, lehenga, saree, or anything you will still feel comfortable in. 

Prepare the puja thali

You must prepare a puja thali for the rakhi tying ritual. Puja thali is an essential part of any puja ceremony, including this one. Take any thali and make a swastika symbol that signifies prosperity and good fortune in the center with roli tika or turmeric powder, then decorate the thali as you like.

Then place the essential items required for the ritual, such as the designer rakhi threads, roli tika, rice grains, something sweet, and traditionally Indian mithais. Still, you can also replace it with chocolates, dry fruits, etc.

Diya

A diya is also an essential part of the rakhi tying ceremony, representing positivity and removing darkness. Place a decorative diya or a regular one on your puja thali. Add a light wick and ghee to the diya for lighting it during the rakhi tying ceremony.

Apply tika

Now the actual rakhi tying ceremony starts. Apply the roli or kumkum tika on your brother’s forehead. Then place a few grains on the tika, which is a symbol of prosperity and abundance.

If you don’t have a roli have your home, you can quickly make it via some simple steps. Add some turmeric, a few drops of lemon juice, and baking soda, and mix well. Let the mixture dry under the sun for 1 to 2 days, and then the kumkum will turn red and be ready to be used.

Perform the aarti

Gather your brothers in a comfortable place. Light up the diya and do their aarti. However, this step is optional, and you can follow this step as per your beliefs and faith. Many sisters do the aarti for their brothers as this symbolizes the removal of any dark or ill energy surrounding your brother.

Tie the rakhi

Now, you can tie the rakhi to your brother’s wrist. You can pick any rakhi for your brother for this occasion, but ensure it is ideal according to his preference and age. For instance, for your elder brother, you can pick out an ethnic style rakhi, and for your baby brother, a kid’s rakhi would be ideal.

Tie the rakhi around the brother’s right wrist. While tying, also recite the prayers or wishes to God for your brother’s well-being, fortune, and overall good things. If your brother is married, you can also tie a lumba rakhi to your sister-in-law. Tie the lumba rakhi around your bhabhi’s left wrist and recite prayers for her well-being.  

Feed sweets

After tying the rakhi, offer sweets to your brothers or sister-in-law as it is traditional to have some sweets on special occasions. Many also choose to offer dry fruits or chocolates to their siblings.

You can buy a rakhi with sweets combo online to skip the hassle of shopping for rakhi and sweets separately. If you want to make this Raksha Bandhan unique to the previous ones, you can also prepare sweets and surprise everyone with your cooking skills.

Exchange of gifts

It’s time for the brothers to give gifts to their sisters. So, graciously accept the gift and touch their feet and your sister-in-law’s as a mark of respect. 

Gifting is an important part of the rakhi tying ceremony as it’s a token of gratitude from the brother for his sister as she prays for him. Brothers give cash or any item, such as toys, books, clothes, etc., as return gifts for sisters. This part of the ritual also has slightly changed over the years. Now, many sisters also prefer to give gifts to their brothers as a token of their love. These gifts can be men’s accessories, toys, gadgets, etc.

Meal and time together

The rakhi tying ceremony concludes, and the siblings have a delicious meal together. Then the siblings spend the rest of the day with each other. They reminisce about their old but sweet childhood memories, play games, or go out. The rest of the day is mainly spent in each other’s company. 

And that’s how you can traditionally celebrate and tie the rakhi to your brother. Many people still prefer the traditional way of rakhi tying ritual but some have added their own variations. So, how do you celebrate this occasion?