Teej (Sanskrit: तीज, meaning "third") is a collective term for three Hindu festivals dedicated to the goddess Parvati and her consort Shiva. It is mainly celebrated by married women and unmarried girls, who pray for the long life of their husbands or future husbands and to welcome the arrival of the monsoon through singing, swinging, dancing, joyful celebration, pūjā, and often fasting.
Teej collectively refers to three festivals: Haryālī Tīja, Kajari Tīja, and Hartālikā Tīja. Haryālī Tīja (literally, "green Tīja"), also known as Sindhārā Tīja, Chhoṭī Tīja, Śrāvaṇa Tīja, or Sāvana Tīja, falls on the third day after the new moon in the month of Śrāvaṇa. It commemorates the occasion when Śiva consented to Pārvatī’s wish to marry him. Women visit their parental homes, prepare swings, and celebrate with song and dance.
Kajari Tīja (literally, "dark Tīja"), also known as Baṛī Tīja, is celebrated 15 days after Haryālī Tīja during the dark (waning) phase of the moon.
Hartālikā Tīja (from Harat meaning "abduction" and Ālikā meaning "female friend") falls one lunar month after Haryālī Tīja on the third day after the new moon in the month of Bhādrapada. It commemorates the occasion when Pārvatī encouraged her friends to abduct her to avoid marriage with Viṣṇu, which her father Himālaya had arranged. Married women observe nirjala vrata (a fast without water) on this day for the well-being of their husbands.
Etymology
refers to the third day that falls every month after the new moon (), and the third day after the full moon night of every lunar month. According to Kumar (1988), and fall in Bhadrapada.
The festivals celebrate the bounty of nature, arrival of clouds and rain, greenery and birds with social activity, rituals, and customs. The festivals for women, include dancing, singing, getting together with friends and telling stories, dressing up with henna-coloured hands and feet, wearing red, green or orange clothes, sharing festive foods, and playing under trees on swings on . The monsoon festival in Rajasthan is dedicated to Parvati.
(lit. Green Teej) is celebrated on the third day after the new moon in the month of Shraavana/Sawan (of the Hindu calendar).Alop Ho Raha Punjabi Virsa: Harkesh Singh KehalUnistar Books PVT Ltd As Shraavana falls during the monsoon or rainy season when the surroundings become green, the is also called .
The festival is also celebrated to remember the day when Shiva accepted Parvati as his wife. Parvati fasted and was austere for many years and was accepted by Shiva as his wife in her 108th birth. Parvati is also known as (lit. Teej mother).Art Culture and Heritage of Rajasthan Study Material With MCQ: Useful for RPSC RAS Prelims and Other Exams. (n.d.). (n.p.): New Era Publication.
Teej is also associated with a tradition of women's songs and communal performances. Ethnographic research in Nepal found that women and girls begin preparing for the festival several weeks in advance, meeting in the evenings to select or compose songs and practice their performances. Married women traditionally return to their natal homes around the festival and may bring songs composed in their marital homes to share with others. Ethnographic research in Nepal found that the songs are not fixed texts: singers may modify existing verses, add new ones, and adapt them to changing circumstances. The songs address subjects including hardship, family relationships, gender relations, social conditions and political issues.
Skinner, Holland and Adhikari found that many Tij songs function as social and political commentary through which women express their experiences and question prevailing gender relations. In the community they studied, the songs provided a recognized cultural medium for women to express critical perspectives on their lives and wider society. During performances, groups of women sing and dance together, while other women and girls join in the verses and clapping. In the community studied by the researchers, several groups could perform simultaneously at a public gathering place.
On married daughters receive the gifts by her mother such clothes, bangles, bindi, mehandi, etc. , a special sweet, are given to them on this day. These gifts are known as . According to Bhatnager (1988), is derived from the Sanskrit word sringar which means "decoration of women and their charming beauty".
Observance of
Haryali Teej is celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, Western UP and Rajasthan. The festival is also celebrated in Chandigarh.
Chandigarh Chandigarh administration makes special arrangements for celebration in the Rock Garden in the city. School children present plays and other cultural programs on this day. The female members of the family, especially daughters, are given gifts and dresses.
Haryana is one of the well-known festivals of Haryana, and is celebrated as an official holiday. Many functions are organised by the Government of Haryana to celebrate the festival and welcome the rainy season. Boys traditionally fly kites from morning to evening, though this tradition is losing its charm in big cities because of high-rise buildings and lack of terrace space.
Swings are set up in open courtyards, under trees for the season. Girls apply henna to their hands and feet and are excused from household chores on this day. On , girls often receive new clothes from their parents.
On , just as on Karva Chauth, the mother sends a or gift. The puja is performed in the morning. The , which consists of a variety of foodstuffs, is placed on a at a place of worship where a (square) has been decorated, and an idol or picture of Parvati has been installed. The evenings are set aside for folk singing and dancing, including the women's prayers for their husbands' longevity and their families.
Punjab
is known as Teeyan in (Punjab) and is seen as a seasonal festival which is dedicated to the onset of the monsoon. The festival is celebrated by women of all faiths, and lasts from the third day of the bright half of the lunar month of Sawan as per the Bikrami calendar (Punjabi calendar) to the full moon of Sawan (about 13 days). Teeyan involves women getting together and performing Gidda, while married women visiting their families and receiving gifts. It is also traditional for women to ride on swings.
Fairs are organised in schools and colleges, where dance competitions are held.Women in punjab celebrate 'teej'. (2010, Aug 1). Asian News International
During Teeyan, girls play on swings that are set up under trees or in open courtyards. During , family members give gifts, typically new clothes and accessories, to girls and women. Sweets, especially Ghevar, are prepared in some parts of Punjab.
Rajasthan welcomes the monsoon and is observed in the month of Shravan (July/August). The monsoon rains fall on the parched land and the pleasing scent of the wet soil rises into the air. Swings are hung from trees, and women dressed in green clothes sing songs in celebration of the advent of the monsoon.
This festival is dedicated to Parvati and commemorates her union with Shiva. Parvati is worshipped by seekers of conjugal bliss and happiness. An elaborate procession is held in Jaipur for two consecutive days during the festival and is watched by large numbers of people. The idol is covered with a canopy whereas the Gangaur idol is open. The traditional Ghevar sweet is also associated with the festival.
During , Parvati is worshipped. The day before is celebrated as Sinjara, during which women put mehndi on their hands and feet.
is celebrated in the Bikrami lunar month of Bhadrapada, on the third day of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada. is also called . In Rajasthan, is called (lit. Bigger Teej) as it follows , which is known as (lit. Smaller Teej).
Women in the Bhojpuri region of Uttar Pradesh pray to Shiva on . It is also customary to sing folk songs known as . The lyrics usually focus on separation, expressing the longing of a woman for her beloved while she is in her parents' home to celebrate Teej, or on her anticipation of being collected by her brothers to celebrate Teej., or waiting in anticipation to be collected by brothers to celebrate . The Kajari is a folk song composed and sung in the Bhojpuri region of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and the Terai region of Nepal.Jain, Jasbir (2006) Narrative of the village: centre of the periphery
Women who observe the fast go without food and water. is associated closely with , which also involves praying to the moon. The fast is broken by eating sattu. The other focus of the day is to pray to the neem tree. A fair named Kajali Teej Mela is held in Bundi in Rajasthan to celebrate .
is a combination of the Sanskrit words and which means "abduction" and "female friend" respectively. According to the legend of , Parvati, incarnated as Shailaputri
On the third day of the bright half of Bhadrapada, Parvati made a out of sand and silt of Ganga and prayed. Shiva was so impressed that he gave his word to marry Parvati. Eventually, Parvati was united with Shiva and was married to him with her father's blessing. Since then, the day is referred to as as Parvati's female () friend had to abduct () her in order for the goddess to achieve her goal of marrying Shiva.
is celebrated on the third day of the bright half of Bhadrapada in the Indian and North Nepali lunar calendars. During the festival, women feast in the evening, pray to Parvati and Shiva, remember their wedding, and stay up all night listening to prayers. The fast (also called nishivasar nirjala vrat) commences during the evening of and is broken the following day after a full day's observance during which women abstain from drinking water. The focus is on worshipping Parvati, whom Shiva wished to be be worshipped under the name Hartalika. Pimputkar, S. (2017, Aug 23). Hartalika teej 2017: Significance, legend, rituals, tithi. Free Press Journal The main areas where it is celebrated are Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Nepal. In Rajasthan, an idol of Parvati is taken in procession through the streets, accompanied by singing and music. has also spread to parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh .
In Maharashtra, Hartalika teej, also known as Hartalika tritiya vrat, which is celebrated in a manner similar to that in northern India. It is observed by married women for the welfare, health, and long life of their husbands and for a happy married life and unmarried girls for being blessed with a good husband. It is Nirjala Vrat, during which women fast for one and half day. Women do Sola shrungar, apply mehndi, wear new red or green sari, observe fast, make idol of Shiva, Gauri, Sakhi and Ganesha with clay or river sand, read katha. They do bhajan sangeet pooja in night as well and open vrat on the second day. It is very auspicious vrat for women in India to worship goddess Parvati in the form of Gauri along with Shiva parivar.
In eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, married women keep Nirjala Upvas for the whole day of Teej, & deck up with Shringaars like Aalta, Mehndi, e.t.c.. In the evening, the women get decked up in heavy sarees, gold jewellery,their wedding Chunris, & don the traditional orange Sindoor from the tip of their nose. In many homes, it is a tradition to wear their wedding Banarasi Saree, on the eve of Teej. They make & worship small clay idols of Shiva, Gauri, Ganesh & Kartikeya. They offer flowers, garlands, Fruits, sweets & items of 16 Shringaar to Maa parvati. Then they recite & listen to the Hartālikā Teej Katha,& offer reverence to the deities. Very early in the next morning,before sunrise, the women get ready & worship the idols again & finally conclude their fasts. The idols are later immersed in a holy water body. In Bhojpuri region, traditional delicacies such as Thekua, Pidukia, e.t.c. are prepared for offering. Traditional folk songs are sung, & women adorn Sindoor from their wedding Sinhora.