All over the world, celebrations and festivals bring families together. This is especially true of the Indian celebration of Raksha Bandhan, which means “bond of protection,“ and is a day set aside to highlight the importance of the bond between brothers and sisters.

On this special day, siblings throughout India pray for each other’s wellbeing and wish each other happiness and goodwill. Tradition calls for sisters to tie a silk thread, called a Rakhi, around their brother’s wrist and to pray for his wellbeing, while brothers make a lifelong promise to protect their sisters from all harm.

This year, Raksha Bandhan fell on August 13 and the children of Sooch Village celebrated in a very special way. After performing the Rakhi tying ritual with their siblings at Sooch Village, twenty children, two Housemothers and two staff members traveled to meet His Excellency the Governor of Jharkhand at Raj Bhavan (Governor’s House) in nearby Ranchi. While visiting His Excellency, the children were served snacks and were especially honored to have the opportunity to tie a Rakhi around his wrist. Needless to say, everyone was very happy to have had such an exciting and special day!