Sravani is an ancient
Vedic festival traditionally
associated with the Brahmins on which day they change their sacred thread.
Both Raksha Bandhan and Sravani are celebrated on the full moon day of the
month of Shravan (August).
Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi the
more popular of the two festivals, is a Hindu sister's
day when brothers and sisters reaffirm their bonds of affections. Sisters
tie colourful threads or rakhis on their brother's wrists. The brothers
in turn promise to protect their sisters and give them gifts. If a girl
who is a total stranger ties this chord on the wrist of a young man, from
then onwards the two regard each other as brother and sister.
On the day of Rakshabandhan,
the girls take the rakhi which is attached to the strip of a cardboard
and put in on top of a thali full of sweets. Covering her head with her
dupatta, the sister 
sits in
front of her brother, dabs his forehead with
vermilion, saffron and rice powder, takes the colourful rakhi and ties
it to his wrist
she will then take a piece of some sweet meat and playfully stuff it in
her brother's mouth. He, in his turn, as a mark of his affection places
some money on the thali. All that day, till the evening the brother will
keep the rakhi on his wrist. It is also customary to fry poories and cook
vermicelli pudding on this occasion.
Raksha Bandhan is celebrated
in different forms in different areas and it is also known by the names
like rakhi, rakhri and saluno.
