Rakhi Pournami · 2026
Raksha Bandhan 2026
Raksha Bandhan, called Rakhi Pournami in Telugu homes, falls on Friday, August 28 in 2026, on the full moon (Purnima) of Shravana masa. A sister ties a rakhi on her brother's wrist and he pledges to look after her. The same full moon is Jandhyala Purnima, when the sacred thread is changed.
When is Raksha Bandhan in 2026?
Raksha Bandhan 2026 falls on Friday, August 28, 2026. It is kept on Shravana Purnima, the full moon of Shravana masa. In Telugu homes the day is Rakhi Pournami, and it carries a second, quieter tradition on the very same full moon: Jandhyala Purnima, the changing of the sacred thread.
Rakhi Pournami: the bond of protection
The heart of the day is simple. A sister ties a rakhi, a thread often woven with a small charm, on her brother's wrist, marks his forehead, and feeds him a sweet. He gives her a gift and promises to stand by her. Distance rarely stops it. Rakhis travel by post across states and oceans, and many families now tie them over a video call so a brother in the US and a sister back home share the same moment.
The tie is not only for born siblings. Cousins, close friends, and neighbours exchange rakhis too, and the gesture widens into a general vow of care between people who look out for one another.
Jandhyala Purnima and the sacred thread
On the same Shravana Purnima, Telugu and other South Indian brahmin families observe Jandhyala Purnima, known more widely as Upakarma. The old jandhyam (yajnopavitam, the sacred thread) is set aside and a new one is worn, after a ritual bath and Rishi Tarpanam, offerings of gratitude to the sages who preserved the Vedas. It also opens the season of renewed Vedic study. One full moon, then, holds two acts of care: a thread tied between siblings, and a thread renewed with the sages.
How Telugu families observe it
Homes are cleaned and a small thali is set with rakhis, kumkum, akshintalu (turmeric rice), a lamp, and sweets. Sisters perform a brief aarti before tying the rakhi, and the family shares a festive meal, often with payasam or the season's undrallu still lingering from the Shravana Fridays. For families keeping Upakarma, the thread ceremony is done in the morning, and the rakhi tying follows through the day.
Raksha Bandhan dates by year
Here are the Raksha Bandhan dates for the next few years, using standard (India) reckoning. Your US date can land a day off, because local sunrise decides the tithi, so check yours in the app.
| Year | Raksha Bandhan date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | |
| 2027 | |
| 2028 |
Raksha Bandhan FAQs
When is Raksha Bandhan in 2026?
Raksha Bandhan falls on Friday, August 28, 2026. It is kept on the Purnima (full moon) tithi of Shravana masa, the same day Telugu families call Rakhi Pournami.
Is Raksha Bandhan the same as Rakhi Pournami?
Yes. Rakhi Pournami is the Telugu name for Raksha Bandhan. A sister ties a rakhi on her brother’s wrist and he promises to look after her; the bond, not the region, is what the day is about.
What is Jandhyala Purnima?
Jandhyala Purnima is the same Shravana Purnima. It is the day the sacred thread (jandhyam or yajnopavitam) is changed in the Upakarma ritual, with Rishi Tarpanam offered to the sages. So the one full moon carries both Rakhi and the thread-changing.
When is Raksha Bandhan in 2027 and 2028?
By standard reckoning Raksha Bandhan is Tuesday, August 17, 2027, and Saturday, August 5, 2028, both on Shravana Purnima. Your US date can land a day apart, since local sunrise decides the tithi.
Why might the US date for Raksha Bandhan differ from India?
The full moon is counted on the day the Purnima tithi is present at local sunrise. Sunrise reaches the US many hours after India, so the tithi can fall on a different Gregorian day and the observed date can differ by a day abroad.
Dates here are shown for standard reckoning. Your US date may differ by a day, because local sunrise decides the tithi, and Sampangi shows yours for the city where you celebrate.
Keep exploring: all Telugu festivals in 2026, find your Telugu birthday, what is a tithi? You might also like Varalakshmi Vratam and Sri Krishna Janmashtami.
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