RAKSHA BANDHAN is called Avani Avittam in South India.
This falls on the full moon day of the month of Sravan (August-September).
It is
an important Hindu
festival. Hindus wear a new holy
thread and offer libations
of water to the ancient Rishis on this day.
Recitation of the Vedas on this great day is highly
beneficial. This festival is also known as Upakarmam, and is specially sacred to
the Brahmins, who have been invested with the sacred thread. When the Brahmin
boy is invested with this holy thread, symbolically his third eye, or the eye of
wisdom, is opened. This festival of Upakarmam reminds the wearer of the sacred
thread of its glorious spiritual significance. Brahmins also offer libations of
water to their ancestors to whom they owe their birth and to the great Rishis to
whom they are highly indebted for their spiritual knowledge and the Vedas
themselves. The true Hindu never forgets his benefactors!
Avani Avittam or Upakramam is a ritual followed by
the Brahmins who read Yajurveda. It is most commonly celebrated in southern
states of Tamil Nadu and Kerela, and states of Orissa and Maharashtra. It falls
on the Shravan Purnima that is the same day as Raksha Bandhan. read more
about festivals in Tamil NaduRitualsOn this day, a Mahasankalpam or a vow is
taken for atonement of all our sins in the past year. The Brahmins take a holy
dip and wear a new holy thread called Yajnopavit or Janeyu. The first
step is a ''prayashchita'', A prayer to atone the sins. It says, "For the removal
of all my sins and thereby to secure a divine blessing and for qualifing myself
to perform the essential duties of Brahmanas as prescribed in the vedas and
smritis and adopted by the really good in their conduct I put on this
Yagnopavita". When the thread is worn another mantra is recited which
means -"I put on the sacred thread which is highly pure, is inseparable from
God, is capable of prolonging life and is the foremost in the accomplishment of
a Brahmana. May such pure Yagnopavita bring strength and dignity. While
removing the old thread, the mantra means -"I throw away the broken dirty old
thread, may the new one bring on long life and Brahmana''s brilliance.