Raksha Bandhan wishes for the bond that ties you together
Turn a heartfelt message in English or Hindi into a gorgeous animated rakhi card for your brother or sister.
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Sample raksha bandhan wishes
Real messages from the Kehdoo card creator. Pick one as a starting point or write your own.
Love
Happy Raksha Bandhan! 💛 However life pulls us in different directions, this rakhi is my reminder that my love for you never fades. It only grows. So grateful to call you my sibling. Love you endlessly.
Heartfelt
Happy Raksha Bandhan! 🧵 Distance and time never really change us, and this rakhi is proof that no matter what, I've got your back and you've got mine. Thank you for being the best sibling I could ask for.
Playful
Happy Raksha Bandhan! 🎁 Tying this rakhi and officially renewing my lifetime membership to your protection-plus-gifts scheme. Fair warning: I'm cashing in every favour this year. Love you, my forever partner-in-crime.
A rakhi message is a promise rather than a greeting. The thread is the easy part. What the day actually asks for is a sentence about what you will do for each other, and most messages skip straight past it to sweets and gifts.
What should a rakhi message promise?
A rakhi message should name one thing your sibling did for you and one thing you will do for them. The ritual is built around an exchange: a sister ties the rakhi and prays for her brother, and he promises to look out for her. Written down, that promise usually turns into "Happy Raksha Bandhan, bhai" and a row of emoji.
Put the promise back in and the message changes.
"Happy Rakhi! Love you, bhai."
"Happy Rakhi, bhai. Last year you drove four hours to sit with me in a hospital corridor and said nothing useful the entire time, which was exactly right. That's the deal, isn't it. Still holding up my end."
You do not need a dramatic story. One thing they did, one thing you will do. That is the whole message.
Who can you send a rakhi message to?
A rakhi message can go to far more people than a brother: cousins, sisters, chosen siblings and sisters-in-law all count. The day is far less rigid than the standard greeting card suggests, and knowing that helps you write for the person in front of you.
- Cousins count, and in most Indian families always have. A cousin brother or sister is not a lesser recipient.
- Sisters tie rakhi to sisters. This is now common and entirely unremarkable in many families.
- Chosen siblings, close friends, neighbours who grew up in the same building: rakhi is tied as a bond of protection, not only as a blood relationship.
- Married sisters often tie rakhi to their brothers-in-law as well, and a sister-in-law who has moved into the family may be tying rakhi in a house full of people she is still getting to know. A message to her is worth sending.
- Many families send rakhi to soldiers, and schools and organisations organise this every year.
- Some people have no sibling to tie to, or have lost one. For them the day can be quiet and hard rather than festive.
Happy Raksha Bandhan, bhai! 🧵 You are still the person I call when something breaks, whether it's a laptop or a plan. Tied your rakhi this morning even though you're 2,000 km away. Come home soon. Mithai is getting cold.
Happy Rakhi, didi. 💛 You've been looking after everyone in this family for years, and somehow nobody asks who looks after you. That's my job, and I'm taking it more seriously from this year. Anything you need, any hour.
Happy Raksha Bandhan! 🧡 Cousin by birth, sibling by every summer holiday we ever spent wrecking Nani's house. Missing you and the mangoes. Rakhi is in the post, don't lose it this time.
Happy Raksha Bandhan from 11 hours behind you. 🌏 The rakhi is in the courier and it's late, obviously. Tie it whenever it lands. The promise doesn't need a delivery date.
Happy Rakhi. 🌸 Everyone says this is a brother-sister thing, but you've protected me longer and better than anyone. Tying it to you and I'd do it every year.
Happy Raksha Bandhan, bhabhi. You walked into this loud family and made it feel like yours within a year. Consider yourself well and truly claimed.
Happy first Raksha Bandhan as a married woman! 💫 New house, new rituals, same sister who used to steal my chargers. Nothing changes here. Same number, same hour, always.
Thinking of you today, of all days. I tied a rakhi anyway, the way we always did. Missing him is not something I've got better at, and I don't think I will.
Writing it in Hindi, or in your own language
A line in the family's language followed by your own words in English or Hinglish reads far more naturally than a whole message written in Hindi you do not usually write.
- Raksha Bandhan ki hardik shubhkamnayein
- "Heartfelt wishes for Raksha Bandhan", the standard formal greeting in Hindi
- Raksha / Rakhi
- The thread itself; raksha means protection
- Bhai / Behen / Didi
- Brother, sister, elder sister. Didi carries respect as well as affection
- Rakhi Purnima
- The name used in Maharashtra, Bengal and Odisha, since the day falls on the full moon of Shravan
- Narali Purnima
- The same full moon in coastal Maharashtra, when fishing communities offer a coconut to the sea
- Kajari Purnima
- The name in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, tied to the sowing season
- Mooh meetha karna
- "To sweeten the mouth", the sweets that follow the tying
The verse traditionally recited while tying the thread is worth knowing even if it is not said in your house:
Yena baddho balī rājā dānavendro mahābalaḥ, tena tvām abhibadhnāmi rakṣe mā cala mā cala.
What should you avoid in a rakhi message?
Avoid making a rakhi message about the gift, or sending the same forwarded image to every sibling. Name one thing they did for you and one thing you will do instead.
Do
- Name one thing they did for you, and one thing you will do. That is the promise, in writing.
- Send it to cousins, chosen siblings and sisters-in-law. The bond is what matters, not the family tree.
- Post the rakhi early if it is going abroad. International post routinely takes two to three weeks around the festival.
- Send something to a sibling who is grieving, or who has lost a sibling. The day is loud and they will feel the absence of it.
Avoid
- Don't make it about the gift. The running joke about what the brother owes is funny once and thin after that.
- Don't send the same forwarded image to every sibling in the family group.
- Don't wish a colleague "Happy Rakhi" in a way that implies a relationship you do not have; a simple "Happy Raksha Bandhan to you and your family" is safer.
- Don't assume everyone celebrates. It is observed most widely in north, west and central India, and many families mark the day quite differently or not at all.
The date moves every year with the Hindu calendar, since it falls on the full moon of Shravan. The Raksha Bandhan page has the date, the regional variations and how the day is worked out, and Bhai Dooj around Diwali is the other sibling festival in the year. If the person you are writing to lives far away, miss-you messages may be what you actually want to say.
Written and last reviewed by the Kehdoo team on .
How to make a Raksha Bandhan card
- Pick the occasionOpen the card maker and pick the occasion. The card starts finished, in colours that suit the day, so there is nothing to design from scratch.
- Write the messageType your own words, or start from one of the messages on this page and change the details until it sounds like you.
- Make it yoursSwap the look, add a photo, change the colours and sign it off. Everything updates on the card as you edit it.
- Share the linkSend the link on WhatsApp or anywhere else and they open an animated card, with no app and no sign-up. You can also download it as a PNG.
Frequently asked questions
What should I write in a Raksha Bandhan message?
Name one specific thing your sibling has done for you, then name one thing you will do for them. Raksha Bandhan is built on a promise of protection, so a message that contains an actual promise says far more than a general greeting.
What do I write to my sister on Raksha Bandhan?
Acknowledge something she does that nobody thanks her for, and make clear what she can count on you for. Sisters usually receive plenty of affection on the day and very few concrete commitments.
Can sisters tie rakhi to sisters?
Yes, and it is common in many families. The thread marks a bond of protection rather than a fixed relationship, which is why it is also tied between cousins, chosen siblings and close friends.
What should I write for a long-distance rakhi?
Say when the rakhi was posted, tell them to tie it whenever it arrives, and put the promise in the message itself. International post around the festival often takes two to three weeks, so send it early and let the words do the work meanwhile.
How do I wish Raksha Bandhan in Hindi?
"Raksha Bandhan ki hardik shubhkamnayein" is the standard formal greeting. A line in Hindi followed by the rest in the language you normally use reads more naturally than a full message in Hindi you would not otherwise write.
What do I say to someone who has lost a sibling?
Keep it short, say you are thinking of them, and do not avoid mentioning the person who died. The day is loud and public, which makes the absence sharper, and a quiet message acknowledging it is usually welcome.
Is it okay to wish colleagues on Raksha Bandhan?
A general "Happy Raksha Bandhan to you and your family" is fine and widely appreciated. Avoid framing it as a sibling bond with a colleague, and remember that the festival is observed most in north, west and central India.
What is a Kehdoo Raksha Bandhan card?
It's a short animated greeting page for "Happy Raksha Bandhan". Write or pick a message, add a photo if you want, and Kehdoo turns it into a shareable card at a single link.
Is it free to create and share a Raksha Bandhan card?
Yes. Creating and sharing a card on Kehdoo is free, and you don't need an account to do it.
Can I add a photo to my Raksha Bandhan card?
Yes. You can add a photo during creation, and it's resized and stripped of metadata before it's stored.
How do I share the card once it's ready?
Share the link directly via WhatsApp or your device's native share sheet, copy the link, or download the card as a PNG.
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