Rakhi 2020: How The Meaning Of This Festival Has Changed Over A Period Of Time

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The festival of Rakhi that was once called the bond of love has quickly made a transition to being the bond of gold, diamonds and anything expensive you can find. Gone are the days when rakhis for Rakshabandhan were symbolic threads to be tied on the brother's wrist. With the upcoming age of consumerism, traditional rakhis are steadily going out of fashion. This year the festival will be celebrated on 3 August.

Nowadays we have what is called. 'designer rakhis' the prices of which begin from a few hundred and go up to a few thousand. The fact these expensive rakhis sell out like hot cakes is not surprising at all considering the fact that the new generation is spend-thrifty. It the same set of people who spend thousand on friendship bands and valentine"s day gifts who buy these expensive rakhis for their brothers.

The Causes For Change In The Festival Of Rakhi:

• The Magic word 'Designer': The young generation attaches a hefty weight to the word 'designer'. Be it designer bags, designer clothes or designer pearl rakhis, they will all be in vogue for the same reason. The fact that these rakhis for Rakshabandhan are not mass-produced but unique down to the last detail makes a huge contribution to their popularity.

• Customized Rakhis: It is now possible to have custom made rakhis for Raksha Bandhan online. There are several websites offering the option of designing a rakhi for your brother yourself. This adds the personal touch lacking in a rakhi bought from a store no matter how expensive.

• The Urge To Do 'Something' Different: Everything is subject to change and the festival of rakhi is not an exception to this rule. The change is most often brought in by the new generation and that is the case here too. The young people these days want to do something novel, something that has not been done before and tradition gives then the perfect excuse to do just that. That is the reason we see new ideas getting implemented in the form of edible rakhis, gold rakhis, cartoon rakhis etc.

• Various Influences On The Festival Of Rakhi: Our world is now 'wired' and not cocooned anymore. Exposure to various cultures and new concepts happens rapidly these days. So our indigenous customs are bound to get influenced by many different things. We see our traditions slowly adapting to accommodate these changes. The different styles like the zardosi rakhis, Feng shui rakhis, Laughing Buddha rakhis that are not originally symbolic of our culture are being incorporated into the essence of Rakshabandhan.

The current social trends don't leave out our age-old festivals from their wheel of change. What we are observing today in the festival of rakhi could be interpreted in many ways- vulgar display of wealth, creative impulses at their best or varied influences on our culture.