Though Raksha Bandhan has its roots in Indian culture, it has indeed become a global festival. There are many mythological and historical stories surrounding the festival of Raksha Bandhan. We intend to explore all those stories in our upcoming Babla Rakhi blog posts.
India is a nation of diversity as it has many regions, cultures, and languages. There are cultures within the cultures in the country. Hence, it would be interesting to explore various types of regional Raksha Bandhan celebrations that constitute rich fabric of Indian culture.
Raksha Bandhan celebration in India’s northwestern state of Rajasthan is quite unique and fascinating.
We have already discussed one of the most fascinating traditions of Marwari culture, which is a part of Rajasthani culture. Let us now talk about other equally fascinating aspects of Raksha Bandhan celebration in Rajasthani culture.
Sooun Maandana (Shagun Maandana)
Rajasthan is a land of kings, queens, palaces, deserts, and lakes. It has rich heritage of art, culture, food, fashion, and music. This rich heritage reflects in the manner in which they celebrate Raksha Bandhan. One such unique tradition is that of Sooun or Shagun Maandana which precedes the actual ceremony of tying rakhi around the wrists of brothers on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
Soouns are auspicious pictures of symbols that are believed to protect us from all evil energies of the world. They are also drawn to welcome angelic and divine forces in our lives. This is essentially what Raksha Bandhan too is all about – safety and protection of siblings. In the Hindu way of life, these symbols consist of the Swastik, the Sun god, Lord Rama, Lord Ganesha and many others. Maandana is a Rajasthani folk art that involves drawing pictures on the walls, on the floors of the homes or even on the papers.
Sooun maandana in villages vs cities
In villages, villagers just put the dried cow dung directly on the walls of the houses or the havelis – the big palace like houses. These dried cow dung cakes are drawn in various shapes like the swastika or the sun god.
In cities, instead of cow dung, city dwellers prefer to draw soouns on the papers with geru. These papers with hand-drawn pictures are then stuck on the walls of the houses and the entrances. Nowadays, ready-made soouns too are available in the market. The tradition of sooun maandana is usually the routine before any festival in Rajasthan, especially Raksha Bandhan. The ritual invokes the gods and all the divine forces before any auspicious event. There are many types of soouns or pictures. People use them as per their faith and conviction in any symbol or deity.
Ritual of Sooun Jimana
Jimana stands for pooja or the offering. This is a very significant ritual before the actual ceremony of tying rakhi to brothers and sister-in-laws. During the ritual of sooun jimana, the engraved soouns on the walls are offered jaggery or any other sweet along with roli, chawal, red sacred thread, and some water. During the offering, family members pray for the well-being and happiness of each other. Sooun jimana bears its resemblance with yet another famous ritual of Ganesha Sthapan in the Hindu way of life. Ganesha Sthapan too is performed to invoke good luck before any auspicious activity, especially wedding.
Actual Raksha Bandhan ceremony
These small, simple rituals then are followed by the actual ceremony of tying rakhi. Sister ties rakhi around the wrists of the brother, applies roli, chawal on his forehead, performs arati, and feeds her brother with the sweets. Brother in return gives gifts to his sister. He also promises to protect his sister and take care of her forever. The sister then performs the same ritual of tying lumba rakhi for sister-in-law. Read more about it in our blog post: “What is Lumba Rakhi? Significance of Lumba Rakhi”.
The elder women of the family too tie rakhi to the younger ones and take a vow to protect them throughout their lives. The vibe of the occasion is purely that of melting and merging. Sentiments of love, happiness, and commitment to be with each other and protect each other during the thick and thin of life just flow abundantly, and everybody is totally absorbed in this feeling of belonging and camaraderie.
Rajasthani Food, music and songs
Families also enjoy sweets like ghevar; moong ki daal ka halwa; malpua; churma ladoo; balushahi; badam ka halwa; gujia; kalakand; mawa kachori; mohan thaal also known as dil khushal or besan ki barfi, and many more. Rajasthan also has unique culture of folk songs. Families also sing together Raksha Bandhan special folk songs of the Rajasthani land.
Festivity in the air
When you go out in the market, you will see the shops all decked up with variety of colourful rakhis. Sweets shops exude exotic aromas of fresh sweets with rakhi special packaging. Brothers and sisters are out there on the streets to buy special gifts for each other. There is this adrenaline rush in the air that drives brothers and sisters to have the best possible rakhi gifts for each other. Shop keepers too are thrilled to present variety of options to their enthusiastic customers It is here that online portal such as Babla Rakhi plays a crucial part in facilitating Raksha Bandhan celebration in the same way that exactly feels and looks like good old days, and at times even better than those days. You can read our blog post: “How to Celebrate Raksha Bandhan Online or Virtually?”
Send Rakhi to Rajasthan via Babla Rakhi
At Babla Rakhi portal you will have the option to explore 1000 plus rakhis. You can create your own rakhi gift hampers with our add-on products like kaju katli, soan papdi, branded chocolates, rich dry fruits etc.
Babla Rakhi also offer free stuff like roli-chawal, bhagvan rakhi, greeting card with a personalized message for your brother, and a chocolate bar with free and fast rakhi delivery in Rajasthan (2-3 working days).
Do not hesitate to choose Babla Rakhi as your online partner send rakhi to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner, Mount Abu, Kota, Alwar, Bharatpur, and many more. The best thing about choosing Babla Rakhi as your online partner is that your rakhi reaches exactly on time, and at the right place.
Do spread the word and share our online rakhi portal with other sisters across the world. Let them too have the best online rakhi delivery experience that brings smile on brother’s face.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rakhi Celebration in Rajasthani Culture
What is the significance of Sooun Maandana?
It is a unique tradition in Rajasthani culture that precedes the actual ceremony of tying rakhi to brother. Soouns are auspicious pictures of symbols and Maandana is a Rajasthani folk art. For more information on this, read our section: Sooun Maandana.
What is the ritual of Sooun Jimana during Raksha Bandhan celebration?
The ritual of sooun jimana involves offering of jaggery or any other sweet along with roli, chawal, red sacred thread, and some water to the engraved soouns on the walls. For information on this, read our section: Ritual of Sooun Jimana.
What are the Raksha Bandhan special cuisines in Rajasthani culture?
Dal bati churma; methi bajra puri; mirchi bada; ghevar; moong ki daal ka halwa; malpua; churma ladoo, along with non-vegetarian delicacies such as mohan maas and laal maas. For information on this, read our section: Food, music and songs
How do siblings prepare for the celebration of Raksha Bandhan in Rajasthan?
There is lot of excitement and enthusiasm in the air. Everyone is gearing up to welcome the festival of Raksha Bandhan with colourful rakhis and delicious sweets. Everyone is on high and the mood is quite vibrant. For more information on this, read our section: Festivity in the air.
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