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Festival
Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection) is a Hindu festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the month of Shravana (August). The festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi, or holy thread by the sister on the wrist of her brother. The brother in return offers a gift to his sister and vows to look after her same as sister return offers to brother. The brother and sister traditionally feed each other Indian sweets. It is not necessary that the rakhi can be given only to a brother by birth; any male can be "adopted" as a brother by tying a rakhi on the person, that is they are cousins or a good friend. Indian history is replete with women asking for protection, through rakhi, from men who were neither their brothers, nor Hindus themselves.The rakhi may also be tied on other special occasions to show solidarity and kinship (not necessarily only among brothers and sisters), as was done during the Indian Independence Movement.
