
Raksha Bandhan is an important festival in India. Indians celebrate this festival with sheer enthusiasm. It’s a sibling festival, in which brothers and sisters take part in the rituals. Hence, brothers and sisters eagerly await the festive time. Because the families gather for rituals and traditions, Raksha Bandhan is a happy family bonding time.
Every festival in India is marked with sheer enthusiasm and a lot of preparations. That’s right. Weeks before festivities, people prepare so that the festival celebrations are done in the most beautiful manner. As only a month is left for the rakhi, sisters and other family members have started preparing for the day. In case you do not miss on anything, we have prepared the list of items that you need to buy. Let’s get started with the rakhi shopping spree.
- Rakhi Threads: “Raksha Bandhan” means bond of protection. To mark the festival, sisters tie a protective thread known as rakhi on the wrist of brother(s). Over the years, decorative and unique rakhi threads have come into play. Sisters, every year, find a beautiful rakhi for their brothers. In some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Marwadi culture, rakhi is tied to bhabhi and nephews. The rakhi thread for the sister-in-law is known as Lumba rakhi, which is a bracelet like-rakhi tied with a bangle. Kids rakhi come in all unique shapes, sizes and colours. Cartoon rakhis are liked by Kids. The prime item to buy for Raksha Bandhan is a rakhi. You can buy rakhi online or offline. Some popular types of rakhi: silver rakhi, kundan rakhi, peacock rakhi, evil eye rakhi, quirky rakhi, photo rakhi, diamond rakhi, zardosi rakhi, bracelet rakhi, gold-plated rakhi, Lumba rakhi, etc.
- Pooja Thali and Pooja Items: The Raksha Bandhan ritual calls for pooja. Sisters perform pooja by chanting a sacred mantra for the long life of their brothers. To perform the pooja, sisters need a pooja thali and pooja samagri (things). Decorative pooja thalis bring liveliness to the festivities. Raksha Bandhan is a vibrant festival, and decorative pooja thali will add to its beauty. Designer pooja thalis can be bought from online stores. The pooja samagri includes roli-chawal, oil diya, coconut, sweets, incense sticks. Make a list of these items, so you do not forget to buy these for the pooja. These pooja items can be bought from any ‘Kirana’ store or shop dealing in these items.
- Sweets: Indian festivals and sweets have a long-established connection. Sweets are considered pure because milk and sugar as the main ingredient. Sweets are required for pooja thali and for offering to the family. Many of you do not make sweets at home; instead prefer ready-made sweets from sweet shops. If you like to buy sweets from outside, do it before because you will end up with nothing on the day of Raksha Bandhan because every sweet shop has run out of stock. Always buy sweets from reputable sweet shops like Haldiram, Om, Bikanervala, Gulab, and other stores. Kaju Katli, Soan Papdi, Gulab Jamun, Peda, Dodha, Burfi, all these are popular choices for you.
- Gifts: On Raksha Bandhan, brothers and sisters give gifts to each other. Sister’s tie rakhi, and in return for the gesture, brother gives a gift. Nowadays, sisters too give their brothers rakhi gift out of love. Shopping for a gift can be a task because it is very easy to get confused about what to give and what not to. Here are some of the gift-worthy options for you to consider. Chocolates, gadgets, apparels, gift hampers, personalised gifts are the best-suited options. If you are looking for something different and luxe, silver and gold can be your choice.
- Clothes: Festival means new clothes. On Raksha Bandhan, sisters and brothers like to dress in ethnic wear and post Instagram pictures. You and your sibling can shop for new clothes, accessories, and footwear. Colour-coordinated outfits, personalised outfits, or ethnic outfits can be your choice. You can go for Indo-western looks and attires. Saree, Kurti, Suits, Ghagra and choli, are perfect for girls, while kurta with jeans, kurta-pyjama, dhoti-kurta are best suited for boys.
With this, your rakhi shopping is completed. Make sure you do not miss any of the above-mentioned items as these are essential for marking the festival as per rituals and traditions.