Teej
This swing festival welcomes the advent of the monsoon. Swings are hung from trees and decorated with flowers. Women, colourfully attired, swing on them and sing songs in celebration.
With every drop of first rains; Peacocks dance in ecstasy, spirits soar high in celebration. Song & dance mark the gaiety of the Teej Festival. Teej is held on Third day of the moonlight fortnight of the Hindu Month of Shravan (Mid-July to Mid-August) and marks the advent of the monsoons. The
monsoon rains fall on the parched land and the pleasing scent of the wet soil rises into the air. The monsoon rains fall on the parched land and the pleasing scent of the wet soil rises into the air.
Teej is the festival for the daughters of the house. This festival is dedicated to the Goddess Parvati, commemorating her union with Lord Shiva. The festival is also dedicated to Goddess Parvati and commemorates the day when she was united with Lord Shiva after a penance of a hundred years – making them a symbol of an ideal marriage. It is believed that invocation of Parvati’s blessings on this day results in continued marital bliss.
Type of Teej
In the state of Rajasthan three kinds of Teej are celebrated and worshiped by the local public in the region. Broadly,
On Haryali Teej: The moon is prayed to.
On Kajari Teej: women gather to sing songs and a pooja of neem is performed.
On Hartalika Teej: Fast for 3 days without any water (nirjalavrat) on the second day.
This festival is more famous amongst the people of Rajasthan and thus the celebration of Teej remains exclusive to the Jaipur region. Teej holds a special place in the heart of the people of Jaipur as a time for rejuvenation and revival of spirits after the punishing summers. The festival is made into an even more memorable experience if it rains on this day.
LEGEND
The legend behind the celebrations is Goddess Parvati’s hard-core Tapasya, before her union with Lord Shiva, for which she took 108 births on the Earth. The Myth goes that she failed to have Lord Shiva as her Life Partner till 107th Birth. But this divine union happened, when she again took birth for 108th time.
Akshaya Teej 2010: Teej will be celebrated on May 16, 2010 (Sunday).
Teej
RITUALS
Seekers of conjugal bliss and happiness worship goddess Parvati. An elaborate procession is taken out in Jaipur for two consecutive days on the festive occasion, which is watched by people in large numbers.
Teej is especially celebrated in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. However, people of Bihar and parts of Uttar Pradesh also consider this festival an auspicious one. Though the revelry and public participation is absent here, Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati are worshipped by married women who keep a 24-hour fast for the long life of their husband. The fast is a strict one during which the women are not allowed to have even a sip of water. An offering of traditional sweets and fruits is made and women pray for the long life and prosperity of their husband.
Women undergo fasts; sing folk songs and dance in the name of Goddess Parvati. It is a belief that unmarried women fasting will luckily find a suitable husband. Fasting married women will also find their husband more faithful and bonds of love strengthened.
The images of Parvati or Teej Mata are bedecked in new clothes and jewellery and worshipped. The Teej idol is covered with a canopy whereas the Gangaur idol is open. After a ceremonial worship at home, elephants are taken out in a ceremonial process escorted by camels, and horses. Then the images are taken out in ceremonial processions escorted by caparisoned elephants, camels and horse drawn chariots, as the bride Parvati leaves her parents home for her husband's. The festivity revolves around singing and dancing in praise of Parvati. The devotees surges to catch a glimpse of the deity and seek blessings.
CELEBRATIONS
On the occasion of Teej, Dandia dances are arranged by professionals and performed in courtyards at home and in public places.
The young girls of the house who dress up in colourful saris, lehangas and chunris, also perform these dances.
The colourful dandas (sticks) moving in rhythmic beats, with each swing of the hands and feet, hitting either at one's own danda held in the other hand, or at the one held by the other dancers, are really beautiful to watch.
Girls with Henna on their hands and feet run about joyously and are excused from household chores on this day. Special Mehndi motifs also called laheria and ghewar are applied to match the mood of Teej.
On Teej, it is a must for the girls to receive clothes from their parents. Gifts comprising of set of heavy clothes, eatables, dry fruits, bangles, which is called as baya, for the first year after marriage is given to the newly weds. Girls engaged to be married, receive gifts from their future in-laws a day before the festival. The gift, called Shrinjhara derived from the word shringar (adornment), consists of henna, lac bangles, a special dress of laheria (tie and dye fabric) and a sweet called ghewar.
The pooja is performed in the morning. The baya which consists of a variety of foodstuff is placed on a thaali (plate) at the place of worship where a chowk (square) has been decorated, an idol or a picture of Parvati is installed. The evenings are set aside for singing and dancing.
Swings are hung from trees and decorated with flowers. Young girls and women colourfully attired, swing on them and sing songs in praise of the goddess and the monsoon. The gracefully ornamented and colourfully dressed women celebrate the day adding fun and frolic to it through their local gatherings. The hands crafted with Henna add into the beauty of the ladies and a popular belief that goes with it is that the darker the Henna the more a man loves his woman.
The colours of the month of Sawan, lilting songs - specific to the festival, are sung to accompany the application of henna, creating an aura of romance. This atmosphere of Teej is celebrated with the fullest of life to make it the most memorable day of the year and for the reason it is the much awaited festival amongst the girls of India.
The tie-and-dye chunri in green, red, and yellow with its zari and gota along with green, yellow and red bangles, becomes a feast for the eyes.
The rituals allow one to pamper and enjoy themselves, to fast and feast, to dress the best with best of cloths, finery and jewellery. The festivities end with exchange of gifts and the arrivals of husbands to fetch their wives. The wives then leave then leave their parent’s home like Parvati.
Akshaya Teej 2011: Teej will be celebrated on May 16, 2010 (Sunday).
