Hello everyone!
Teej is around the corner. Teej won’t really be the same in this pandemic but I have enjoyed celebrating Holi, Rakhi, shiva ratri, Krishna Janmastmhi and Ram Nawami with my family this year. This weekend we will be celebrating Teej and Ganesh Chaturthi. Teej is one of my favorite hindu festivals that my family celebrates . Festivals are a way to celebrate life and to learn life lessons about bravery, courage, moral values and gratitude. But also to learn about our traditions, faith in God and miracles in life.
Teej (Haritalika Teej)is mostly celebrated in the month of Shravan that falls in the month of August or September based on the hindu calendar.
Teej is the generic name for a number of Hindu festivals that are celebrated by women in many parts of India (mainly in North and Central India) and Nepal. ‘Hartalika Teej ‘is celebrated in Nepal and parts of North India.Teej refers to the third day that falls every month after the new moon (amavasya), and the third day after the full moon night of every month. There are other kinds of Teej.Hariyali Teej gets its name from the abundance of greenery we see in nature after the rains. It is meant to symbolise the richness and contentment of a happily married life. Kajari Teej is also known as Boorhi Teej, women pray to Lord Shiva in the form of a song or mantra , asking for a husband so that they can celebrate the occasion of Teej properly.
If you wonder what Hartalika means, this is what I have found.
Hartalika is a combination of the sanskrit words harit and aalika which means “abduction” and “female friend” respectively. According to the legend of Hartalika Teej,Parvati, incarnated as Shailaputri, was the daughter of Himavat. who promised her hand in marriage to Vishnu, at the suggestion of Narada.” But goddess Parvati wanted to marry Lord Shiva. As a result, Parvati was abducted by her friends to a forest where she prayed and did teej puja to get Lord Shiva as her husband.
People go to the Shiva temples on Teej day. Girls and married women celebrate Teej by dressing up in red/green ,singing, dancing and get togethers. There are three days of celebration where there are special traditions that you have to follow.
Day 1: “ Daar day ” is celebrated with lots of delicious food and get together. People celebrate it for many days before the real Teej day.
Day 2: “Fasting and Prayer day” is the main Teej day.On this day, girls and women fast for the whole day. Usually they do not eat or drink for 24 hours but, to make things easy, they eat dairy products and fruits. If they live in Nepal near the Pashupatinath temple, they go there to pray to lord shiva.But visits local temples if out of Nepal. You will see girls and women wearing beautiful red and green sari, bangles and jewelry.
Mostly women sing religious songs that have a happy meaning. Traditionally, these songs emphasized the role of women in Nepalese society in addition to reinforcing traditional Hindu ideology of gender relations. The songs allow women to effect change in their respective societies by giving them a public voice. Day three is like “Women’s day”, a day to celebrate women power. Most women wear red clothes called lehengas and saris. Usually they wear their wedding sari and jewelry specially red and green beads called ‘Pote’ and ‘Tilhari’. People go for picnics, try new recipes, get together with friends as men play cards as a tradition.
Day 3: The third day is called Rishi panchami. The Rishi Panchami revolves around the purity of women. It is a time when women cleanse themselves.
There is a mythological story associated with Teej.This festival is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and her union with Lord Shiva. According to legend, Parvati had to go through 108 cycles of birth and rebirth, until Lord Shiva finally agreed to marry her. The Goddess Parvati is also known as Hindu women around the world pray to her on this festival for the protection of their husbands.
You must be wondering why women wear red and green?
Red and green are considered auspicious and a sign of prosperity. Nepali women usually wear colored bead necklaces called “pote” and “chadke tilhari”.
These are the signs of a married woman.
Personally I love to see all the women dressed up like brides on teej day.
Last year, we had several get-togethers before teej. And on teej day I went to the temple with my mom and grandma.I also met many friends and kids from school.
This year, we are in a health crisis and teej will not be celebrated as before. But still we have enough reasons to celebrate at home with families or virtually.
Teej is on Friday this week and Ganesh Chaturthi on saturday. We had celebrated ganesh puja with my grandma as she made varieties of sweets. I will miss those sweets made by her this year.
HAPPY TEEJ EVERYONE!
Good write up Janavi! It is important to learn our culture and traditions to empower women. We should also not be afraid to question them if they seem unfair towards any group.