Rakhri


Rakhri or Rakhrhee is the Punjabi word for Rakhi and a festival observed by Hindus and Sikhs. In the Punjab region, the festival of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated as Rakhrhya. Rakhrhya is observed on the same day of the lunar month of Sawan. It, like Raksha Bandhan, celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. Rakhri means “to protect” whereby a brother promises to look out for his sister and in return, a sister prays for the well being of her brother. According to Fedorak, the festival of Rakhri celebrates "the bonds between brothers and sisters". Married women often travel back to their natal homes for the occasion.
A Rakhri can also be tied on a cousin or an unrelated man. If a woman ties a Rakhri on the wrist of an unrelated man, their relationship is treated as any other brother and sister relationship would be. The festival is a siblings-day comparable to Mother's day/Father's day/Grandparents day etc.

Celebration

A sister will tie the Rakhri on her brother's wrist and her brother will traditionally give his sister a gift in exchange. Another feature of the celebration is the consumption of sweets. There is no special ceremony but a sister will sing folk songs and say something along the lines of:
Punjabi:

ਸੂਰਜ ਛੱਡੀਆਂ ਰਿਸ਼ਮਾਂ
ਮੂਲੀ ਛੱਡਿਆਂ ਬੀਅ
ਭੈਣ ਨੇ ਬੰਨੀ ਰੱਖੜੀ

 ਜੁਗ ਜੁਗ ਵੀਰਾ ਜੀਅ

Transliteration:

Suraj chhadya rishma
mooli chhadya bi
bhain ne banni rahkhree
''jug jug veera ji