Importance of Teej in my family by Sahaj Paudel

Teej is a Hindu festival celebrated religiously by Nepalese women in the month of August or September. It is dedicated to both Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati because as per Hindu mythology, Parvati fasted and prayed for weeks and weeks before she finally got him as a husband on the same day when Teej is now celebrated. 

Teej is an auspicious festival. Wearing red clothes, the color that represents purity and prowess, many women fast in Teej reciting the rituals that goddess Parvati performed. Unmarried women believe that they will get a good husband while those who are married believe that the ritual will bless their husbands with a long life. They also portray a celebration part to the festival by singing and dancing while preserving the religious aspect by doing prayer rituals in the temple. 

Teej is celebrated over three days. The first day is called darr-khane when women eat a lot of food in order to prepare themselves for the next day. The second day is called Hari Talika, when the women fast and go to temple. Some women follow the tradition so religiously that they don’t even drink a single drop of water until the next day. The third day is called Rishi Panchami, when women worship and perform some rituals. 

As Teej celebrates a wife’s love and devotion towards her husband, it brings peace, unity, and harmony in the family. Teej is very significant to my family because it demonstrates the eternal love, and celestial devotion of my mom and my grandma to their spouses and provides an opportunity for my young sister and myself to learn and inherit the outstanding tradition to our future generation. 

Finally, Teej is a very popular festival in both Nepal and India. Women do many things in Teej such as singing, dancing, and doing prayer rituals. Women also wear some mehndi in Teej. Women wear mostly red in Teej, but they also wear some green too. Teej is an occasion for married women to visit their parents and return with gifts. In some families in Nepal, many daughters wait a whole 365 days to visit their parent’s home because this is the only time they are allowed to visit their parents. If their parents don’t invite them, it will be one of the saddest days of their life. 

Teej is a festival that shows the perseverance and devotion in women most unlike the other festivals and that is the reason why the festival is very popular.