Brothers and sisters
Raksha Bandhan 2027
The full moon of Shravan, when a sister ties a rakhi on her brother’s wrist — abroad, a day of rakhi fairs, parcels posted weeks ahead and video calls across time zones.
- Raksha Bandhan 2026
- Thursday, 27 August 2026
- Raksha Bandhan 2027
- Tuesday, 17 August 2027
Raksha Bandhan events near you
What Raksha Bandhan is
On Raksha Bandhan a sister ties a rakhi — a thread, now often an ornament — on her brother’s wrist, marks his forehead with tilak and feeds him a sweet; he gives a gift and a promise of protection. The bond is kept across cousins, friends and neighbours too, and the day is an optional holiday in several Indian states. It falls on Shravan Purnima, the same day as the Narali Purnima of the Konkan coast and the Avani Avittam of Tamil Brahmins.
Abroad the rakhi travels by post and the tilak by video call; the temples hold a rakhi tying for the community, Indian shops sell rakhis from July, and the associations hold a Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami evening in the same fortnight. Post early: the courier queues at the end of July are the longest of the year.
If it is your first one abroad
- Post rakhis to India by the end of July; a letter takes two to three weeks and a courier about a week.
- The temples’ rakhi tying is open to everyone — a volunteer ties one for anyone without a sister nearby.
Raksha Bandhan is better with people near you
Free, in every country. Everything below is ranked by how far it is from you.
- Groups near youJoin the Indian community groups in your city — chat, plans and people who get it.
- Events near youEvery festival, garba night and meetup, ranked by distance, with RSVP and reminders.
- Buy and sellSarees, kurtas, furniture, kitchen things — from people a few streets away.
- Rent near youRooms and flats from the community, with the person behind the listing one tap away.
Questions people ask
- When is Raksha Bandhan in 2026?
- Thursday 27 August 2026; in 2027 it is Tuesday 17 August. The rakhi is tied during the day, after the morning puja.
Other festivals
Organising something?
Post it from the app under Events, wherever you are. It is free, a moderator checks it, and it appears here and to every member nearby. Running several a year? Email hello@namaste.community for a listing invite.