Teej (Haritalika) Festival
Observation: 3 Days
Date:Third day of the moonlight fortnight of the Hindu Month of Shrawan (Mid-July to Mid-August).
History Behind Teej
According to Hindu mythology,Goddess Parvati reunited with Lord Shiva on this day. She went through hard-core meditation or penance and took 108 births on the earth . Goddess Parvati failed to have Lord Shiva as her husband till 107th birth. In her 108th birth, Lord Shiva realized her devotion and love for him and accepted her as his wife.
It is said Goddess Parvati declared this moment to be highly auspicious for womenfolk and proclaimed that whoever invokes her on this day will be blessed with happy married life and one’s desires. Women observe Nirjala Brata and spend sleepless nights during the three days of festival. This is symbolic to the penance which Goddess Parvati went through.
How do we celebrate Teej
The First day:
Dar Khane Din is the first day of Teej festival. On this day all the family members especially the women, both married and unmarried gather at one place. Within the Nepalese culture, the family invites their married daughter to enjoy the celebration meal. Woman gathered in their finest outfits of red (called Saubhagya) and start dancing and singing in devotional songs mixed with Nepali folk or Teej special songs.
This evening the grand feast takes place. The grand feast is called “Dar”. The fun often goes on till midnight . After midnight or before the sun rise(Some parts of Nepal) ,the fasting begins.
What is Dar – दर ( A big feast)
Women who fast the very next day eat a very big feast with the family they gathered and enjoy the lavish dinner that evening with different varieties nepalese cuisine of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food like sel-roti, dahi-puri, mutton curries, chicken curries, followed by delicious desserts.
The second day
The day of fasting is the main day of Teej. Some women take it very strictly, they fast without single drop of water, which is known as NIRJALA BRATA. On this day, they take bath to cleanse their body and soul, happily dress in red, married women wear their lagan ko pote, nathhi, other jewelries and chadke tilahari ( jewelries are optional but chadke tilahari, lagan pote and natthi is said to be most important because it symbolize the blessed marriage) and visit a nearby Lord Shiva’s temple for the pray.
Most of devotees in Kathmandu go to Pashupatinath Temple. Women worship the Shiva lingam, the symbol of the lord Shiva, offering flowers, fruits, sweets, etc. The devotees plead Lord Shiva and Parvati to grant their blessing upon the husband and family with happiness and prosperity. The most important part of the rituals is mostly done in the evening burning the oil lamp (108 sute batti in a diyo) which should be burning throughout the night. It is a tradition of giving the diyo of teej by her mother in law to the married woman.
The third day
On this day,women get up early in the dawn and get bath. They worship the sun first with the Tulsi patta(Basil Leaf) and water. Thereafter,
The fourth day of the festival (Rishi Panchami)
After the completion of the previous day’s pooja, women pay homage to various deities and bathe with red mud found on the roots of the sacred Datiwan bush, along with its leaves. This act of purification is the final ritual of Teej, after which women are considered forgiven from all their sins during their menstruation cycle. The recent years have witnessed an adjustment in the rituals, especially regarding the strictness, but its spirit remains the same.
The actual date of inception of Teej is not known. However, it is celebrated by the women of Nepal and some part of India with lots of joy and enthusiasm.
Eating delicious food, popularly called dar, on the eve of Teej, and singing and dancing on the main day are the main features of this festival. On this particular day, the streets of Kathmandu turn into a sea of red with women dressed in red Sarees and Dhoties making their way to Shiva shrines, especially to the Pashupatinath Temple.