Rakshabandan Twenty Twenty

Called the festival of sibling love, the Indian festival of Rakshabandan is observed in August and celebrates the unique bond that exists among siblings.

With so much uncertainty in front of us surrounding the pandemic this year, questions like “Should we meet our family and few friends?” “How do we meet them?” “Where do we meet them?” “Should we create a bubble with just a family and a friend or two?” These were the types of questions that loomed around us as we debated how to celebrate the festival of Rakshabanan this year.

Rakshabandan

Rakshabandan is the first of many fall festivals which are celebrated in India from August onwards. Rakshabandan is celebrated with the tying of a thread bracelet called a Rakhi on each sibling’s right hand, to symbolize the unique and loving bond that exists among siblings. And to make this day a special affair a feast is had with the entire family.

Saturday evening Rakshabandan celebration with the three sisters

My eldest daughter came over Saturday evening to tie the rakhis on her twin sisters. We had a casual dinner in the garden on this evening.

Sunday afternoon Rakshabandan celebration with our dear friend Radhika

Our friend Radhika has been tying a rakhi on Hitesh for more than a decade now. Her brother lives on the East Coast but here locally Hitesh is like an adopted brother 😊. After years of tying a rakhi on Hitesh this year marked a major milestone!! Radhika tied one on me too!! She always considered me her big sister and decided to make 2020 the start of a new tradition 😘💕. Here is a look at this beautiful afternoon.

Rakhi for Hitesh

Rakhi for me too!

Rakshabandan Celebration with my Bay Area Cousins

Here in the Bay Area I have two cousins on whom I tie a rakhi every year to celebrate or familial bond. We have been celebrating this unique festival for over 20 years. Over the years we’ve made this into a family event when we all meet and celebrate over a festive dinner.

This year we decided to make our three families our COVID bubble so we could meet for special occasions such as this one. We couldn’t hide our smiles at being able to see each other in person after so many months! Here is a look at this year’s Rakshabandan celebration.