Source: The State Journal-Register
http://www.sj-r.com/beliefs/x1564859866/Hindu-bracelet-tradition-forms-unique-bond-among-siblings
Dr. Dharmendra Nimavat says he doesn’t expect his children to fully understand all of the meaning behind Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu festival the family will celebrate Wednesday.
But when his daughters, Anjali, 9; and Astha, 6, tie bracelets of silk, cotton and plastic — called rakhis — around the wrist of their brother, Aum, 3, they will be tapping into a tradition more than 6,000 years old, preceding even Hinduism.
The festival depicts the affection and love between brothers and sisters. Brothers promise to protect sisters from whatever harms and troubles life throws their ways, Nimavat says, while sisters pray for their brothers’ protection from evils.