Haritalika Teej ,Festival of woman

 

Teej ,Festival of woman

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The Teej festival is an important festival for married women, and much anticipated monsoon festival. It's dedicated to celebrating the holy union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.According to Hindu texts, Parvati is an incarnation of Lord Shiva's first wife, Sati. Lord Shiva became grief-stricken and withdrawn after she immolated herself in protest of her father's disapproval of him. It took her 108 subsequent births to bring Shiva out of his meditative state and get him to accept her as his wife again. Her 108th birth was as Goddess Parvati. The invocation of Parvati's blessing during the festival is believed to bring about continued marital bliss.When is the Festival Celebrated?
This  festival is  celebrated on the third day of the full moons in the Hindu month of Bhadrapad. Hartalika Teej on August 21.

Where is the Festival Celebrated?

The Teej festival is widely celebrated in Nepal and India and other places where Hindus are settled. 
How is the Festival Celebrated?
Women come together to fast and pray all night. In the morning, they bathe to purify themselves, and dress up in their finest red saris and jewellery to worship Goddess Parvati. They also get their hands decorated with henna, accompanied by the singing of special Teej festival songs. Swings are fixed to branches of large trees, and the women take turns to joyfully swing on them. The Teej festival is a very uplifting occasion.
Girls engaged to be married receive a gift from their future in-laws on the day before the festival. The gift consists of henna, bangles, a special dress, and sweets. Married daughters are given gifts, clothes and sweets by their mother. After the worship has been completed, they're passed on to the mother-in-law.
 Haritalika Teej In Nepal

Dedicated to Parvati, commemorating her union with Shiva, the festival is celebrated for well-being of spouse and children and purification of one's body and Soul.The festival is a three-day-long celebration that combines sumptuous feasts as well as rigid fasting. Teej (also romanised Tij) is celebrated by women, for the long life of her husband and long and firm relationship between them in this life and all the lives to come. It is particularly celebrated by women from various castes of Nepalese society, particularly the Khasa People (Brahmin, Chettri,Giri ,Puri and Dasnami) and others, on the third day after the new moon of the month of Bhadrapada (mid-August to mid-September).

The folk music and dances add more flavor to traditional values of Teej. Women in red dance and sing in the street, going to temple in holy and fasting mood. Teej is also called Haritalika Teej. This festival is celebrated by Nepali Hindu women all across the world.
Amongst some communities it is viewed as a "festival of sisterhood," Teej has traditional and modern values as a festival of celebrating good times with siblings. Although it looks like it is celebration of sisterhood because when married women get rare chance to meet with sisters and friends from their birthplace, there is a strong role of brothers to celebrate the festival as they are to call their sisters in this auspicious occasion and cook special food for their sisters, and all the girls enjoy time doing make up to look the best and dance to forget the pain they get from their-in-laws, which is expressed in the form of folk songs with particular rhythm.