When is Raksha Bandhan 2027?

Tuesday, 17 August 2027. It is Purnima of Shukla paksha in Shravana, and that tithi runs from 16 Aug, 10:29 AM to 17 Aug, 12:59 PM.

Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.

In New Delhi, Raksha Bandhan falls on Tuesday, 17 August 2027, Shravana Purnima. The time to tie the rakhi is 5:51 AM to 12:58 PM: from sunrise or the end of Bhadra, while Purnima runs, to the end of pradosh. Bhadra ends 16 Aug, 11:45 PM, and Purnima runs 10:29 AM (16 Aug) to 12:58 PM. Times change from city to city, so choose yours on this page.

Bhadra is the Vishti karana, which always covers the first half of Purnima. Tradition treats it as unfit for auspicious beginnings, and a verse the Nirnaya Sindhu quotes names the Shravani (Raksha Bandhan) and Holika Dahan as the two rites never to be done in it. So the rakhi waits until Bhadra ends, 16 Aug, 11:45 PM. When it is over before sunrise, the whole morning is clear.

Classically the afternoon, aparahna, while Purnima runs and Bhadra is over (in New Delhi this year: not available, as Purnima clear of Bhadra does not reach it); next, pradosh after sunset (not available this year, as Purnima clear of Bhadra does not reach it). In many years Purnima ends in the morning or Bhadra takes the afternoon, and then the one window is the main rakhi time, 5:51 AM to 12:58 PM. Within it, families who like an extra check pick an Amrit, Shubh or Labh choghadiya.

In New Delhi this year: 5:51 AM to 12:58 PM. The window opens at sunrise, or when Bhadra ends if it runs into the day, and closes when Purnima ends or at the end of pradosh, whichever comes first. In the rare year when Bhadra lasts beyond pradosh, the time is given as 'after' Bhadra's end, and the rakhi is tied then, late in the evening.

Yena baddho Bali raja danavendro mahabalah, tena tvam abhibadhnami rakshe ma chala ma chala: with the thread by which the mighty Bali was bound, I bind you; protector, stay firm. Many sisters also chant Om Gam Ganapataye Namah before the rite and the Mahamrityunjaya mantra for the brother's health. The texts are in the mantra section.

The rakhi, roli or kumkum for the tilak, a few grains of akshat, a small ghee lamp for the aarti, sweets, a little water and some flowers; many add a coconut, a few coins and an extra rakhi for the family deity.

To honour the bond of brothers and sisters: the sister ties a protective thread and prays for her brother's well-being, and he promises to protect and support her. It goes back to the raksha sutra Indrani tied on Indra and to the story of Lakshmi and King Bali, and it is also Shravani, when the sacred thread is renewed.

The Bhavishya Purana tells how Indrani tied a thread on Indra's wrist on the full moon of Shravana and he won his war against the asuras. Popular tradition tells how Lakshmi tied a thread on King Bali as a sister and won back Vishnu, and how Draupadi bound Krishna's cut finger with her sari and he vowed to protect her. The full katha is above.

Raksha means protection and bandhan means a bond or a tie: the bond of protection. The rakhi is a thread of prayer for the brother's well-being and a reminder of his promise to stand by his sister, a meaning that has widened to cousins, friends, soldiers and even trees.

The raksha sutra appears in the Puranic tradition as a protective thread tied with mantras on Shravana Purnima, by Indrani on Indra and by priests on their patrons. Over time it became the sister's thread for her brother. In modern history Rabindranath Tagore used rakhis to unite Hindus and Muslims against the partition of Bengal; the popular story of Rani Karnavati and Humayun is treated by historians as legend.

On the brother's right wrist, usually with three knots. Keep it on at least through the day; many keep it until Janmashtami, about a week later, and some longer. When you take it off, do not throw it away: tie it to a tree or set it in flowing water.

The tradition is to tie it while Purnima runs and Bhadra is over, so use the window above if you can. When distance or work makes that impossible, families tie it at the first chance afterwards, and send rakhis by post; the bond is what the day honours.

Customs differ. Many families see no bar to tying the rakhi itself, since it is a bond between siblings rather than a temple puja; some ask another family member to do the puja part and the sister ties the thread. Follow the view of your household.

To the family deity first, then brothers and cousins; sisters tie rakhis to each other, Rajasthani and Marwari families tie a lumba rakhi on the sister-in-law's bangle, and many tie rakhis to soldiers, friends and trees. Priests tie the raksha sutra on their patrons, as in the oldest form of the rite.