I always get unreasonably excited about Rakhi. Especially now that the kids squabble so much. It seems like there is low-level skirmish going on all the time, which frequently bursts out in the form of explosive warfare. I'm not enjoying this phase in the sibling relationship. I am told by more experienced parents that this might well continue for several more years.
My brother said when I told him about this "I thought Ads-Y were very harmonious?" Well, yes, they are, by and large. They share really well, they love each other to bits and Ads is Y's hero, no doubt about that. Yet between his evolution into the pesky teasing elder brother and her tendency of not giving an inch, I'm going more than a little nuts.
So Rakhi signalled a temporary truce between the two warring factions! This year, the kids took out money from their little piggy-banks to buy books for each other. We made Rakhis at home well in advance, with paper, glue and old lace. Y prepared the Thali for the pooja with a lamp and sweets. She applied the tilak on her brother's forehead and they tied Rakhis on each other's wrists and fed sweets to each other.
Thus went our improvised version of this tradition. I explained to them the significance of the festival and they listened with rapt attention, but soon got back to regular programming :)
Oh well. Atleast I tried :)
That thali looks lovely! Glad Ads and Y came to a truce for their special day! :)
ReplyDeleteI remember celebrating Raksha Bandhan with gusto when I was back home at Ahmedabad. These days, I just send an e-rakhi to my cousins. The festival has lost its charm for me. :( Not that I don't miss celebrating it the same way as earlier.
Thanks GND. We all seem to move away from a lot of the festivals as we grow up, don't we?
DeleteOh, loved the thali and the handmade rakhis! I don't have any excuses to give my band of brothers next time. Lol, love the temporary truces between siblings - gives some respite, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou said it!!
DeleteHa ha very sweet :)
ReplyDeleteWarfare between siblings is inevitable .. My sis and I used to fight so much!! But today we are the best of buddies ..
So a day will come when Ads and Y will stand by each other no matter what .. Isn't that what siblings are there for? It is such a special relationship ..
Hopefully they will aarthy. My own take is that sisters remain close no matter what. When it comes to brother and sister siblings, I think it's not that easy.
Deleterakhi has always been very special to me. we used to have very elaborate celebrations at home in the morning of the day. and what earnings I had :D. After all the cousins would leave post lunch, priyank and i would order pizzas and coke in the evening with my rakhi money and that would be our final celebration along with a rented movie to be watched on the VCR :). It was given I had to buy him something too (usually a GI JOE figure) else he would remark "main protection bhi doon aur gift/paise bhi - yeh to double nuksaan hai :D>
ReplyDeleteTrue, why should sisters have all the fun? :) Unfortunately ads and yuk have no cousins around for more celebrations :(
DeleteI'm so glad to hear that you made eco-friendly rakhis :) the kids are learning their lessons right !!!
ReplyDeleteOh and sibling louv? hahahaha..it's eternal in it's own way that no love can match or replace,no? :)
I am a firm believer that a sibling is a must in a child's life...only child is a lonely child,that ways!!!
Yes sibling love is truly special. Love-hate!!
Delete:-) I am inclined to think like Aarthy. Why you think that the bonding does not come easily to a bro-sis duo?
ReplyDeleteUma, I didn't mean bonding does not come easily (look at my kids). But these bonds are more apt to fray I feel when its a bro-sis combination (relative to sis-sis), especially after both get married. Just speaking from what I have seen both in my own extended family as well as outside.
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