why is rakhi celebrated. what is the story behind rakhi?

Answer :Raksha Bandhan is a festival primarily observed in India which celberates the relationship between brothers and sisters. The festival is observed by Hindus, muslims and sikhs. The central ceremony involves the tying of a sacred thred by a sister on her brother\'s wrist. This symbolizes the sister\'s love and prayers for her brother\'s well being and the brother\'s lifelong vow to protect her. The festival falls on the full moon day of the Shravan month. It grew in popularity after Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of chittoor , sent a rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun when she required his help.

Answer :The origin and the legends: The festival nurtures a rich heritage of legendary traditions, some rooted back to the ages of the great epics. In the Hindu tradition the Rakshaa has indeed assumed all aspects of protection of the forces of righteousness from the forces of evil. According to the Mahabharata, Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pancha Pandyava (the five brothers belonging to the family of king Pandu), asked Sri Krishna, an incarnation of lord Vishnu, how best he could guard himself against impending evils and catastrophes in the coming year. Krishna advised him to observe the Rakshaa Ceremony. He also narrated an old incident to show how potent the Rakshaa is. It went like this. Once, Indra, the king of heaven was confronted by the demon king - the Daitya-raaja - in a long-drawn battle. At one stage, the Daitya-raaja got better of Indra and drove him into wilderness. Indra, humbled and crest-fallen, sought the advice of Brihaspati, the Guru of Gods. The Guru told him to bide his time, prepare himself and then take on the mighty demon. He also indicated that the auspicious moment for sallying forth was the Shraavana Poornima. On that day, Shachee Devi, the wife of Indra, accompanied by Brihaspati tied Raakhi around Indra\'s right-wrist. Indra then advanced against the Daitya-raaja, vanquished him and reestablished his sovereignty. This is how Raksha Bandhan came into being in the ages of old Hindu mythology and has transcended into the modern ages acquiring more of new and modified customs with itself.