Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu celebration that commemorates the relationship, love and bond between brothers and sisters. It doesn't have to be strictly between biological brothers and sisters; the celebration commemorates any type of brother-sister relationship between men and women, including best friends, cousins and even fathers.
The tradition goes that the sister ties a rhaki (also known as a "sacred thread") around the brother's wrist in order to wish him wealth, prosperity and happiness. In return, the brother vows to protect the sister, forever. In my family, my sister and I usually tie rhakis around our dad's wrist, because he is the closest thing we have to a brother. While we're not biologically considered brother and sisters, our dad does nothing but care for us and protect us. We also send rhakis to our cousin brothers, and my mom even sends a rhakito her brother up in New York.
But ever since I remember, I had always wondered — why did my sister never tie a rhaki on me? For sake of the tradition, we would send rhakis to our cousins, but if my sister was ever in trouble or needed help, she wouldn't turn to them for help. She would turn to me, because she's closer to me. She can rely on me, because I'll always be right next to her. I'm her sister! I'm the person that will always be there for her! Why couldn't I tie a rhakion her? Just because she is younger than me, doesn't mean she won't be able to protect and help me in the future.
This continued to bother for me for a while. Why couldn't the sister also wear a rhaki? Why was she considered incapable of "protecting?" A sister could protect her brother as much as a brother could protect his sister. Younger or older, siblings are bound to protect each other, even in the future. They've always got each other's back.
And so this year, my sister and I decided to give a little twist to this thousand-year-old tradition. While we did send rhakis to our cousins and tied one around our dad's wrist, this year, we decided to switch it up a little bit. We tied rhakis on each other.
Because, even though we bicker, I love her, and she loves me.
Because I will always be there for her, and she will always be there for me.
Because I am her best friend, and she is mine.
Who needs a brother when we've got each other?