Raksha Bandhan

Today was the first day of school here at Woodstock. We thought about making a post reflecting on the new beginnings and lonely students, but we thought we'd share a bit about a festival that took place today. Every year during the Hindu month of Shraavana, there is a celebration of Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection). This festival is marked by girls tying rakhi, or holy threads, on the wrists of their brothers.

After the brothers (or cousins, friends, etc.) have their rakhi, they pledge to protect their sisters. The sisters then give their brothers a sweet to eat. There are several different origin stories for this festival involving Hindu gods and goddesses, but it was a nice sight to see little boys getting their threads tied on by their little sisters or cousins.

And in case you're wondering, the first day of school went well.

Dave and Beth