Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and it is considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims. It is a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection, where Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink during daylight hours.

The practice of fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the declaration of faith, prayer, charity, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Fasting is a way for Muslims to purify their souls and focus on their spiritual relationship with Allah, as well as to develop self-discipline, patience, and empathy for those who are less fortunate.

During Ramadan, Muslims wake up before sunrise to eat a pre-dawn meal called suhoor, and then begin their fast, which lasts until sunset. They break their fast with a meal called iftar, which usually includes dates and water, followed by a more substantial meal with family and friends.

In addition to fasting, Muslims are encouraged to increase their acts of worship and charity during Ramadan. Many mosques hold nightly prayers called Taraweeh, which are recitations of the Quran, and Muslims also spend more time reading and reflecting on the holy book during this month.

Ramadan is also a time for community and family gatherings, with many Muslims hosting iftar meals for their friends and loved ones. It is a time to strengthen relationships, forgive past grievances, and extend kindness to all.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a joyous festival that marks the end of the month of fasting. They attend prayer services, exchange gifts, and share meals with family and friends.

In conclusion, Ramadan is a special and holy month for Muslims around the world. It is a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection, as well as a time for community and charity.

The festival of Rakhi is soon approaching. It is an everlasting bond between a brother and sister which is one of the most popular celebrations in every Indian home. It is celebrated every year on 'Shravan Purnima' (Full Moon Day of the Hindu month of Shravan), which generally falls in the month of August. It is symbolised by sisters tying the sacred thread ‘Rakhi’ on their brother's wrist and brothers promising protection for a lifetime against all odds which again fortifies the bond between them. 

There are different versions of evidence in history which glorifies this festival

• The ancient one when Indrani tied a thread around her husband Lord Indra's wrist given to her by Lord Vishnu to protect him from demons during the war between the gods and demons.  

• The promise of protection by Lord Krishna when he cut his finger and was bleeding profusely. Seeing this, Draupadi tore a part of her sari and tied it around his finger. This is believed to be the reason why he saved her during her cheerharan by Kaurava.

• Story heard from legends about Yamuna river and the god of death Yama,  the lord of death granted Yamuna river immortality when she tied a rakhi to him.

• The recent and most significant being the story of Emperor Humayun who went with his troops to Mewar when Rani Karnavati, who ruled the region then, asked for his help. Mewar had been attacked twice by Bahadur Shah and as a ray of hope, she sent a letter to Humayun with a rakhi asking for his help. The emperor who was between a military campaign then left everything to go and protect her. 

It purely touches upon brother-sister affection, sacrifice, love etc and so Rakshabandan, as it is called, is still celebrated in the same traditional way it has been practised before. But with changing times Indians have spread across the globe and still prefers to keep such traditions alive. Today you can be in one country and celebrate festivals with your loved ones across the seven seas through online stores and supermarkets, online gift portals which make the transition of shopping and gifting smooth, easy and doable.

Festivals are a great way to celebrate our culture, traditions and family bonding, as they give us time to bond with our near and dear ones and celebrate our culture together. Also, food plays a very important role in our festival celebrations. No celebrations can be complete without good food. 

We at JustHaat believe in cultural traditions and celebrations, and so to make your celebrations more cheerful and lively, we are here with a customized grand festive menu for you. With some really delicious and time-saving recipes, this menu will definitely make your Rakha Bandhan celebrations flavoursome. So let’s take a tour of our grand festive menu. 

Starters

We all love starters or appetisers or snacks. We like to munch on them every time and why not? They are so flavourful that we can’t resist ourselves. Starters like Tandoori bhuna Aloo, Paneer Tikka, Vegetable Cutlet, Samosa, Kachori, Aloo Bonda, Gobi 65 are some quick options for you to try. All these dishes can be prepared one day before and refrigerated and on the day of Raksha Bandhan, you can deep fry or shallow fry them and serve them with chutney or tomato ketchup. All these starters are full of spicy and flavours. You can also prepare some famous street food as a starter. Read here for details - Delicious Indian Street Foods.

Main Course

The main course should always be fulfilling, healthy yet tasty. You can prepare lip-smacking sabzis like Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Kadai,  Matar Paneer, Dum Aloo, Kofta Curry along with Parathas, Naan or Kulcha. And if you are a fan of Punjabi Chole, you can prepare Punjabi Chole or chana masala with Bhatura or Kulcha.  Ans yes no Indian meal is complete without rice, right? So to complete your main course with rice, you prepare Vegetable Pulav or Lemon Rice or Tawa Pulva. Don’t forget to serve Boodi Raita and Pickle/Papad with your rice.

Dessert

Now comes the best part of our grand festive menu and that is Desserts. After preparing your starters and main course, its time for preparing mouth-watering dessert. You can prepare traditional desserts like Kheer, Gajar (Carrot) Halwa, Sooji (Semolina) Halwa, Moong Dal Halwa, Rabri, Besan Laddoo, Gulab Jamun, Rasogulla, Coconut Barfi. All these sweets can be prepared a day before and enjoyed on the day of Raksha Bandhan. 

If it is difficult for you to prepare all the dishes at home due to your busy work schedule, you can check out JustHaat wide collection of Ready To Eat Meals. Made with the finest quality of ingredients and no artificial colour or preservatives, JustHaat Ready To Eat Meals are super tasty, delicious and perfect for your festive menu. 

Special Sweets

Sweets are an integral part of any Indian festivals. They become even more important for the Raksha Bandhan celebrations because, on the day of Raksha Bandhan, sister performs brother's aarti, puts tika on his forehead, ties Rakhi and offer sweet to him. So to complete your Rakhi celebration, we are here with a wide range of sweets made only for you. Being a trusted name as an Asian grocery store, we do care for our Indian customers and their needs from time to time. We are spread across the UK with our online store to cater to the ever-growing online demands. Do you have to wish Rakhi to your Siblings in the UK? Our online store JustHaat is just a store away and can help you get the best sweets your brother can ever get. It's not all about only sweets, rather you can lay your hands on the best deals for gift hampers, sweets, chocolates and much more. Also, We have a wide range of designer Rakhi and sweet hampers specially prepared to celebrate this special bond of love. Listed below are a few of our sweets, nothings waiting just to be ordered from your JustHaat store:

• Kaju Katli

• Kesar Peda

• Almond Pista Soan Papdi 

• Dry Petha

• Gajar Halwa

Happy Raksha Bandhan from all of us at JustHaat.com. Enjoy the sweetness of this festival and experience the happiness of online shopping with us and we will be at your service for all your online shopping needs promising speedy and timely delivery at your doorstep and that too at reasonable rates.

“Rakhi- The thread which binds and pulsates with sisterly love and sublime sentiments Signifies a bond of protection.”  To make this bond even stronger, connect with us and we promise to make your Raksha Bandhan a most memorable one.