| Amid old , new rituals, Raksha Bandhan celebrated with gaiety | | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 25: Raksha Bandhan, the festival of tying holy threads on hands of brothers, was celebrated with gaiety and fervor in the city of temples today. Amid religious fervour and traditional rituals sisters tied rakhis to their brothers. Temples witnessed heavy rush of people who thronged in huge numbers , seeking blessings of Lord Shiva on the auspicious occasion of Shravan Purnima.
All markets and bazaars in the city witnessed a flurry of activity with colourful display of Rakis and gifts of all varieties. Though the shops were flooded with a plethora of rachis of different designs and colours, sisters preferred ostentatious ones for their younger brothers while older persons preferred sober styles.
Sisters could be seen wearing colourful clothes and carrying gifts for their brothers. Since most of the schools were closed today, sisters and brothers celebrated the festival that marks stronger bonds of love together. The sisters applied 'tilak' on the foreheads and then tied the rakhi on the hands. The brothers also presented choicest gifts .There was a huge rush at the gift and sweet shops. Some leading sweet shops of the city witnessed unprecedented rush of customers. Long queues of customers could be seen outside these shops. And fruit sellers also did brisk business.
The most cherished festivity of Hindu myth Rakshabandhan, besides generating a warm sense of love and brother-sister relation, is attached with small anecdotes also as kite flying and selling and distribution of sweets.
The occasion is thus heavily fraught with such activities also that have collateral affect on the people and their celebrations which turn this festival of love and brotherhood expand to much bigger horizons also.
And a myth also goes along with the Hindu festivals that the occasions are marked with supernatural forces also which sometimes carry bad omens also otherwise bringing in wealth and prosperity to the people.
To start with, today's early morning was heavily overcast that sent a hapless agony descendant on the kite fliers and sellers also who prayed upwards towards the the Rainy Gods to make up space for their colourful kites to flood skies. " It appeared that Gods smiled upon their followers as skies opened before noon to let the sky turn colorful as kites were flown by the people throughout the city which was a very beautiful scene," said an ardent kite flier Vinod Kaala, a scooter mechanic at Subhash Nagar. |
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