Teej is a celebration of the monsoons (saawan or shraavan) and all that accompanies it. It is the celebration of nature and its abundance during this period. With India being an agricultural country primarily, this festival serves an important role in the Hindu culture.
Women around the country, celebrate this festival by welcoming the monsoon with singing and dancing, dressing up in brightly-coloured clothing, applying henna on their hands and sharing stories with their family and friends. 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 Teej Mata and Hindu women around the world pray to her on this festival for the protection of their husbands and thank her for the abundant monsoon.
Teej, which literally means ‘third’, falls on the third day of the month of Shraavan and on the third days of the waning and waxing of the moon (Shukla Paksha) in the month of Bhadrapada, in accordance with the Hindu lunar calendar. This year Teej is being celebrated on July 23 and will mark the day that women observe a full day fast for the well-being and health of their family.
Though in all essence, the festival of Teej has the same significance for people all over the country, the mythology of how this day came to be celebrated is a matter of lore that has been passed down through generations. From Hariyali Teej in Punjab and Rajasthan, to Kajari Teej in the Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh, and Hartalika Teej further south; each of these different celebrations have developed their own rituals through the course of time.
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, and during this celebration women pray to Lord Shiva in the form of song, asking for a husband so that they can celebrate the occasion of Teej properly at their in-laws’ homes.
