Raksha Bandhan in 2023: Date, Time, and, Significance

Raksha Bandhan is a festival commemorating the special bond between brothers and sisters. Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in the auspicious month of Shravana (Shravan Poornima) on Shukla Paksha, a full moon day. The festival generally falls between July and August.  

When is Raksha Bandhan 2023?

The pious occasion of Raksha Bandhan 2023 will be celebrated on August 30th 2023. When is Raksha Bandhan celebrated according to the Hindu calendar? In every year's Shravan month on the full moon day, or Purnima, it is known as Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi Purnima.

Employees are free to avail of their chosen holiday from the list of optional holidays in India as per the employment and holidays laws in India. As most of the businesses and offices remain operational during Raksha Bandhan, the onus is on the employees on whether they want to take a holiday or not. Find below the holiday calendar for the Raksha Bandhan for the year 2023. 

Year	Day	Date	Name of Holiday	Type of Holiday	States
2023	Thursday,	August 30	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday	Gujarat, and Haryana
2022	Friday,	August 31	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday	Chattisgarh, Daman & Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Rajasthan

Shubh Muhurat for Raksha Bandhan 2023

This shubh muhurat is suggested to be the best time to tie rakhi to your adoring brother. But, the key-note to keep in mind while doing so is to avoid tying rakhi at the time of Bhadra.

Muhurat	Time & Date
Purnima Tithi Begins	10:58 AM on Aug 30, 2023
Purnima Tithi Ends	07:05 AM on Aug 31, 2023
Raksha Bandhan Bhadra Punchha	05:30 PM to 06:31 PM
Raksha Bandhan Bhadra Mukha	06:31 PM to 08:11 PM
Raksha Bandhan Bhadra End Time	09:01 PM

Significance of Raksha Bandhan

The festival of Raksha Bandhan holds a lot of significance to Indian culture.

The festival signifies the eternal family bond and celebrates the importance of the relationship between siblings. In the states of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana, the Raksha Bandhan has been declared a public holiday. The festival is observed throughout India across diverse cultures as it solidifies the duty and love of the bond between a brother and sister. Currently, the festival is not limited to just brothers and sisters as the sisters tie rakhi to each other’s hands, celebrate the bond, and exchange vows to love and protect each other. The festival is also observed among neighbours to signify the family-like bond that a neighbourhood or community shares. The Raksha Bandhan is a festival to be celebrated and cherished among family members.  

Importance of Raksha Bandhan for Farmers

The festival of Raksha Bandhan holds a special significance for the farmer community. On the day of Rakhi Purnima, the auspicious ceremony of Sharvari is conducted by farmers across the country. As the festival falls during the monsoon season, the farmers hold a ceremony to usher in a prosperous rainwater supply, resulting in an affluent harvesting season. The farmers commemorate the festival to have an auspicious start with their farming activities. Farmers from the state of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh adore the farm's soil for a fruitful yield. The date and timings of the festival are similar, and the farmers follow a muhurat in accordance with the Hindu calendar.  

Importance of Raksha Bandhan for Fishers

The festival of Raksha Bandhan also holds a lot of substance for the fisher community in India. States on the coastal lines of India such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Goa celebrate the festivals by hosting a diverse set of rites. As the day of Raksha Bandhan is considered auspicious and falls under the monsoon season, the fishing community celebrates it with endless zeal and enthusiasm. A dense rainy season positively impacts the quality of the fish. The festivities are done to delight the God Varuna on the auspicious day of Nariyal Purnima.  

Background of Raksha Bandhan 

The festival's rich history dates back to Mahabharata. When Lord Krishna injured his hand with a cut from the Sudarshan Chakra. Draupadi instantly tore a piece of her saree and tied it to Lord Krishna's finger to stop the bleeding and treat the wound.

The gesture touched Lord Krishna and promised to protect Draupadi from all the world's evils, naming the pledge Raksha Sutra.  

Lord Krishna honoured his pledge by providing an incessant heap of cloth to her when the Kauravas tried to disrobe Draupadi in court to dishonour her. This instance exemplified the custom of brothers protecting their sisters from all the world's evils. This excerpt from the Mahabharta holds a lot of significance in Indian culture. 

Places to Observe Raksha Bandhan in India

The festival of Raksha Bandhan 2023 is specifically observed in these 4 states of North India namely Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

How is Raksha Bandhan Celebrated?

The Raksha Bandhan is a festival that celebrates the bond between siblings. On the day of the celebration, the whole family gets together and partakes in the ceremony where the sisters tie a thread on their brother's arm. The brothers give gifts to their sisters and pledge to protect them from the evils of society. The family also engages in light-hearted banter and spends the day together, making special memories. 

In some regions, the family's women also visit temples and tie rakhi to Lord Krishna, praying to him to protect them from the evils of society, just as he did with Draupadi. In current times, the rakhi is also tied to neighbours and friends, commemorating the bond and solidifying their relationship.  

Rakhi - Days of Celebration

The Raksha Bandhan is a festival that falls during the monsoon season. It holds a special space in Indian culture as the monsoons wash away all the dirt and malice from the people's lives. The season provides affluence to the yields of the farm. And is associated with prosperity and growth in the farming community. 

The monsoon season signifies the destruction of all the unnecessary elements of nature and the commencement of something new and auspicious, which enriches the nature of this planet. 

The festival falls in the auspicious month of Shravan, and it is marked as the perfect time to celebrate the bond between the siblings while strengthening the family ties for all eternity.

Raksha Bandhan Date from 2023 to 2030

Find below the table regarding the observation of the festival of Raksha Bandhan for the next seven years. 

Year	Day	Date	Name of the Holiday	Type of Holiday
2023	Thursday,	August 31	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday
2024	Monday,	August 19	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday
2025	Saturday,	August 9	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday
2026	Friday,	August 28	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday
2027	Tuesday,	August 17	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday
2028	Saturday,	August 5	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday
2029	Thursday,	August 23	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday
2030	Tuesday,	August 13	Raksha Bandhan	Optional Holiday