Importance of Teej in Nepali Culture by Ritika Adhikari

Teej is one of the widely celebrated festivals among Nepalese women and unmarried girls. They worship one of the great lords in Hindu religion namely “Shiva”. Teej is also celebrated in some parts of India. It is celebrated at late August or early September. In Nepal, Teej is celebrated in four days where the second day is considered as the most important one. Married women celebrate this festival so that their husband can live longer whereas unmarried girls celebrate to get a good husband in the future.

Teej is a celebration for women to have a very healthy and long life and for unmarried to find a great husband for their future. It is a great festival for women they sing and dance with each other. There are four days in Teej each four days women have to certain things like go on a diet.

Day one or “Dar Khane Din” is when women get together and sing and dance. They also feast together.Women sing songs about their family and social issues as well as hard times they have gone through. Women dance a lot and then it is time for dinner. Usually, women and her children go to women’s father’s house to eat for dinner. The main food as Dar includes rice porridge, yogurt, and meat but these days a variety of food is served. They eat until midnight where they have to go on a strict diet.

Day two is when the women have to go on a strict. Some women do not even take a single drop of water or food. They take a bath early in the morning and go to a temple for Puja. They offer flowers, fruits and coins to Lord Shiva and his wife Lord Parvati. They sing and dance a lot in the day. They also light oil lamps which they believe brings peace. pros The women and girls who fast strictly are believed to be blessed with a good husband (for unmarried) and husband’s longevity (for married).

Day three is when women wake up early in the morning, take a bath and worship the oil lamp and Goddess Parvati before eating any food.

In day four women go to the lake and bath in red mud as well as they perform Panchami Puja as well as they sing and dance all day long.

In my family, this festival is important especially for my mother. My mom goes in her red sari into our temple and does puja. She also does fasting and goes with her friends. She has faith and belief in our Hindu god. It is also important to our Nepalese community living in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, we have this organization named “Milwaukee Pariwaar” which organize program during this time. Most of the Nepalese women will attend this program to worship gods. My mother along with hundreds of Nepalese women from Wisconsin celebrate all night by singing and dancing. They also invite some Indian women to show how our culture is and in return, we can learn theirs. So, we can see how important Teej festival is in our society and my family.