Raksha Bandhan

A strong sibling bond

Three smiling kids after tying Rakhi

Maddie tying Max Rup's Rakhi

Maddie tying Myles' Rakhi

Myles and Max Rup tying Maddie's Rakhi

India has a LOT of holidays. We cannot possibly keep up with all of them, but we do feel it is important to celebrate our sons' culture. We have chosen Raksha Bandhan as the time to do this every year. Here is a brief description of this sweet holiday:

"The annual 'festival' of Raksha Bandhan, which is meant to commemorate the abiding ties between siblings of opposite sex, usually takes place in late August, and is marked by a very simple ceremony in which a woman ties a rakhi — which may be a colorful thread, a simple bracelet, or a decorative string — around the wrist of her brother(s). The word 'raksha' signifies protection, and 'bandhan' is an association signifying an enduring sort of bond; and so, when a woman ties a rakhi around the wrist of her brother, she signifies her loving attachment to him. He, likewise, recognizes the special bonds between them, and by extending his wrist forward, he in fact extends the hand of his protection over her. The thread-tying ceremony is sometimes preceded by the woman conducting aarti before her brother, so that the blessings of God may be showered upon him, and this is to the accompaniment of her enunciation or chanting of a mantra, which may be in Sanskrit or one of the other Indian languages. In Punjabi, for instance, the mantra says: 'Suraj shakhan chhodian / Mooli chhodia beej / Behen ne rakhi bandhi / Bhai tu chir jug jee', which can be roughly translated as follows: 'The sun radiates its sunlight / the radish seeds / I (the sister) tied the rakhi / brother, may you live long.' After the conclusion of the ceremony, she places a sweet in her mouth, and he might return the gesture. The brother bestows a small gift upon his sister."

We use this day to play Indian music, talk about the country, and it's people. We cook a huge Indian meal, and then our children exchange Rakhi. Traditionally, the brothers receive Rakhi from their sisters, and present their sisters with other small gifts, but Maddie loves the idea of the Rakhi, so our boys present her with one as well. The kids donned their Indian outfits for the exchange, and we also tried some Bengali sweets this year.

This year I also attempted to cook some of the meal from scratch. This is no small feat considering #1 - I am not a chef nor do I enjoy pretending to be, and #2 - it is difficult to find a lot of the ingredients used in Indian fare in this area. But we managed, and I think it came out alright.

I get emotional on days like this when we really focus on the boys' roots, etc. I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to expand our family this way. We have been so enriched by the experience, and these days make me think of the people in their lives before us. I think of their birth parents, the amazing Ayahs. This year I missed Mason Probal like crazy, and thought about having 4 kids by the lake next summer. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make these days and traditions special because I feel a huge responsibility to make sure my boys know how proud we are of their heritage, and that we never want to forget any part of it.