The Friendship bracelets: A golden thread that ties our hearts

From Rakhi Purnima to Nomad Inside Friendship bracelet: An invitation to celebrate love to your friends!

Our nomad life has brought us to India where the Rakhi Purnima festival is celebrated, the occasion for brothers and sisters to honor their ties. Generally taking place between the end of July and the end of the third week of August (on the full moon of the fifth month of the Hindu calendar - Purnima of the Shraavana month), little red and gold bracelets are offered as a mark of emotional connection. This festival is celebrated as well in the Mauritius islands, major parts of Nepal and by Hindu Pakistanis in Pakistan.   

Tie the Rakhi on Rakhi Purnima

This Hindu Festival, followed as well by non-religious people, is also called Rakhibandhan or Raksha Bandhan. Raksha, in Hindi, means ‘protection’ whilst Bandhan stands for ‘tie’. On this occasion, sisters tie a Rakhi (literally meaning bond of protection) around their brother’s, cousin’s wrist. It is, traditionally, a little cord, a bracelet, that Indian girls are creating and weaving with red and gold threads. It symbolizes their love and sincere prayer’s for their brother’s happiness and good health. In return, they receive from them, a promise of protection from all that’s evil. Rakhi’s can also be more sophisticated and be made of silk with gold or silver threads, crafted with embroidered sequins or studded with semi-precious stones. They are believed to protect the bearer for one year.

A Social Ritual

Nowadays, Rakhi’s binding tradition does not only concern men and women from the same family but also any brother/sister relations between men and woman who are not necessarily biologically related. Close and sincere friends, neighbors are popularly exchanging it. It symbolizes one’s harmonious life, social life and his peaceful and happy existence surrounded by people he considers as brothers and sisters.

Tie the Rakhi on Rakhi Purnima

This Hindu Festival, followed as well by non-religious people, is also called Rakhibandhan or Raksha Bandhan. Raksha, in Hindi, means ‘protection’ whilst Bandhan stands for ‘tie’. On this occasion, sisters tie a Rakhi (literally meaning bond of protection) around their brother’s, cousin’s wrist. It is, traditionally, a little cord, a bracelet, that Indian girls are creating and weaving with red and gold threads. It symbolizes their love and sincere prayer’s for their brother’s happiness and good health. In return, they receive from them, a promise of protection from all that’s evil. Rakhi’s can also be more sophisticated and be made of silk with gold or silver threads, crafted with embroidered sequins or studded with semi-precious stones. They are believed to protect the bearer for one year.

A Social Ritual

Nowadays, Rakhi’s binding tradition does not only concern men and women from the same family but also any brother/sister relations between men and woman who are not necessarily biologically related. Close and sincere friends, neighbors are popularly exchanging it. It symbolizes one’s harmonious life, social life and his peaceful and happy existence surrounded by people he considers as brothers and sisters.

“Rituals like Rakhi, induce fellow-feeling, open up channels of expression, give us an opportunity to rework on our role as human beings and, most importantly, bring joy in our mundane lives.

From Rakhi to Friendship Bracelets

Friends are dear to us, and like Anais Nin wrote:

 “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” (Anais Nin, The diary of Anais Nin).

We love new worlds and we truly think friendship is a golden thread that ties our hearts. Based on the Rakhi custom, Nomad Inside created its friendship bracelets that are soon to be launched. The collection will consist of a series of 18 karat gold and silver charms, pipes, semi-precious and precious stones set on a colored thread (from the best Japanese threads). It will allow you to follow your inspiration and create the perfect combination to treasure your friends, your loved ones (or even for yourself, we promise to keep the secret!). 

Contributing to reflect the inner beauty of true friends, it is also our way, at Nomad Inside, to make beauty meaningful!.

The friendship bracelets collection is yet to come, join our newsletter to be informed