The festival of Rakhi is celebrated differently in different parts of the country. We present to you  some of the ways in which the festival is celebrated in India.

• Pavitropana

  - Rakhi is celebrated as Pavitrapana in the state of Gujarat.  On this day prayers are offered to Lord Shiva (the three eyed Hindu god). The ceremony of Pavitropana is all about praying to God for forgiveness against past misdeeds and sins. During the ritual a cotton thread is soaked in a mixture of cow ghee, curd, milk, urine and excreta called panchagaivya. The thread is then wrapped around Shivalinga (Phallic Symbol of the Hindu God Shiva) in expectance of divine grace.

• Avani Avittam or Upakramam-

  Raksha Bandhan is known as Avani Avittam in some of the southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The ceremony is also known by the same name in certain parts of Maharashtra and Orissa. The Brahmins in the southern states also call the day Upakramam, meaning the beginning. It is a pious occasion when the people take Mahasankalpam for atonement of all the past sins. The Brahmins take a holy dip and wear a sacred thread called Janeyu or Yajnopavita.

• Kajari Purnima-

  The ceremony of Rakhi is known as Kajari Purnima or Shravani in the states of Chattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The festival is of great importance among the farmers of these states. The womenfolk usher in the beginning of this ritual by bringing earth in a leaf cup on the day of Shravan Shukla Navami. Some barley is added to the leaf cup and it is kept in the dark room. The place of worship is cleaned with cow dung and mud and then decorated with different motifs. For seven days this ritual is held with a lot of reverence. On the evening of the full moon day the final worship is completed.