As dark monsoon clouds gather in the skies, welcome showers quench the thirst of the parched earth, peacocks strut around displaying their colourful plumage, swings are bedecked with flowers and bejewelled ladies coyly dance, sing and swing as they celebrate Teej with great fervour! Teej Festival marks the onset of monsoon, and is sometimes known as Sawan or Shravan but it is also celebrated for reasons other than that.
Significance
It commemorates the love between the divine couple, Shiva and Parvati who are known to have been united on this day after a long separation of over 100 years.
Fasting
Teej is celebrated by married women with a 24 hour long fast (without food or water) as they pray for their husband’s long life, good health etc. Fasting on this day is believed to strengthen the bonds of love between a married couple, akin to the bond of eternal love that Shiva and Parvati shared.
Origin The origins of Teej celebrations could also lie in the fact that this one day gave womenfolk a break from the drudgery of housework and they rejoiced with singing, dancing and bedecking themselves. Rituals Women often return to their parents’ home to celebrate Teej. The father-in-law is expected to give gifts to his daughters in law on Teej. The in laws gift the daughter in law the shringhar package consisting of henna, ghewar, lehariya saree, bangles etc, quite similar to Karva Chauth.
Celebrations
There are three days of Teej which are celebrated by women with great enthusiasm. Women worship the moon on Hariyali Teej with an offering of milk and flowers. On Kajari Teej women frolic around, singing, dancing and rejoicing after the tradition of worshipping the neem tree. Women fast for their husbands onHartalika Teej.
Adornment
Mehndi and Alta are applied, women wear bright coloured sarees or lehngas and dress up like a bride with sindhoor and heavy jewellery.
Swings
Swings form an integral part of Teej celebrations. Swings are slung from branches of trees, or garden swings are bedecked with flowers and colourful fabric. Women swing in gay abandon singing Teej folk songs.
Pooja
The Teej pooja forms a vital part of this festival and the Teej katha is read after which women worship goddess Parvati with offerings of fruits, flowers, coins etc. An oil lamp is lit and kept burning throughout the night.
Feasting
Traditional dishes for Teej include ghewar, malpua, kheer poori, daal-batati, choorma, rang-birangi gujiya, besan ke laddoo etc.
Warm Wishes
Teej is a wonderful time to shower wishes and blessings on the daughter in law, daughter or wife by the in laws or the husband. Wishes of a long and happy married life are most popular, as are wishes from husbands to thank their wife for fasting on Teej. You are free to wish and bless any married woman on Teej.
Teej Songs
The festival of Teej revolves around Teej songs or poetic renditions of love, the joy of reuniting with the beloved, the magic of monsoon, the pains of separation from the beloved etc.
Listen to some popular Teej songs in different languages:
Rajasthan songs: Sawaniya rer teej, Mhane ghano suvave saasro, jatudo batao etc.
Punjabi songs: Thiyan Teej diyan
Other popular folk songs include Saawan ayaa ni, mere veer nu, sawan da mahina
Teej songs in Hindi include popular Bollywood numbers like hai hai yeh majboori, sawan aya etc.
The new Nepali Teej song Merai budhi jati ho ki haina sathi has become quite a hit!
Another popular number is Udhreko choli laudina mata.
Vibrant and colourful celebrations span across Rajasthan, Punjab, UP, Nepal and Madhya Pradesh. The Southern cousin of Teej is Varalakshmi Puja celebrated in August, by married women across Andhra Pradesh….call it a pan-Indian celebration if you will…
Teej 2013 Date:
Hariyali Teej – 10th August, 2013
Kajari Teej – 23rd August, 2013
Hartalika Teej – 8th September, 2013