Raksha Bandhan 2019: From Diya to Akshat, Here Are Holy Things That You Must Place on the Thali to Complete the Rituals

Rakhsha Bandhan 2019 will be celebrated on August 15 this year, which also coincides with Independence Day of India. The day is dedicated to the bond of brothers and sisters, which essentially sees sisters tying a holy string called "Rakhi" to their brothers, that is like a promise taken to protect each other of any evil that may come their way. In some parts of India, Rakhi is not restricted to brothers only, it is tied to anyone who, means a lot and whom you want to protect. Some even tie rakhi to the women of the house but their rakhi is a little different(prettier) and is called Lumba rakhi.

Rakhsha Bandhan is a holy ceremony that follows a whole set of rituals. On this day sisters decorate Raksha Bandhan thali where all the essential ingredients to complete the ritual are placed. Starting with buying or making colourful rakhis and placing it on the thali, the Rakhsha Bandhan thali isn't every easy to decorate and plays an important role in the whole traditional ceremony. Brothers, you better repay the effort with some great gifts, here Rakhi Gift Ideas For Sisters on Raksha Bandhan 2019: Here's A List of Rakshabandhan Gifts That You Can Give On The Festival Day!

Here are the things placed in a Raksha Bandham thali: 

Rakhi: The most important item on the thali is the holy string, Rakhi. The market is filled with Rakhis of different designs and colours. You can also personalise rakhis according to your brother's choice.

Roli: Roli aka the red or orange sindoor used for tika or tilak. the powder, also known as Vermilion in English.

Akshat: Rice is washed in turmeric water and then dried in the sun beforehand to make Akshat. This yellow rice is used to sprinkle on the brother as good luck.

Dahi: This is used to dip the Roli or Vermilion in with the ring finger and then applied on the forehead of the brother as tika or tilak. After curd and roli are applied a little bit of akshat is stuck on the tilak as well.

Sweet: You can choose from a variety of soft gulab jamuns to Kaju katlis, basically anything that your brother likes, and place it on the thali to feed it to your brother after rakhi is tied.

Diya: The traditional diya is probably a part of every Indian holy ritual. To make the diya you will need a deepak, it can be any made out of clay

Incense Sticks: Burn any incense stick and place it on the thali for some good smell and to bring in positive vibes.

Flowers: This is optional. Along with the akshat you can sprinkle some flowers or flower petals on your brother.

Each ritual of Rakhsbandhan holds a certain significance. Rakshabandhan rituals usually involve first, applying tika with the roli (red sindoor) and yoghurt and then some akshat is sprinkled over the brother. After that Rakhi is tied on the right wrist and then follows the sweets, diya, flowers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 14, 2019 02:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).