Festival

        TEËJ                          FÉsTiVaL

Teej festival is the biggest Hindu festival of Nepalese women, which is celebrated all over Nepal.Mainly, the festival is dedicated to Goddess Parvati, who was the wife of Lord shiva.

Teej usually falls in Nepali Bhadra month (August to September), so it is also called the moonstone festival. During the festival, people worship the God of Gods Shiva and Devi Parvati at Pashupatinath temple as their union day. It is a day of fasting, so Hindu women dress all in Red Sari, Gold, and Silver jewelry just to look like Parvati and worship their husbands and fast to honour Lord Shiva & pray for the long life of husband and pray for a happy married life. Teej is all about praying the Devi Parvati and Lord Shiva, worshipping and remembering their union day, and staying all night in the name of God and Goddess.  

On this special occasion, people invite their married daughters to their home to celebrate the festival together. It is also an opportunity for women to visit their parents. Teej is mainly celebrated for 3 days, which are a feast day, Fasting Day and Rishi Panchami. 

On the first day (Dar Khane Din) women gather together in a place wearing beautiful red clothes. They sing folk songs, dance together and have special food called Dar. Normally it is celebrated with relatives and close friends just before the fasting day. However, these days women gather and start celebrating many days prior to the main festival, Teej. Nepalese women from all over the world have started celebrating the festival in their respective regions. Small events/programs are organized to celebrate this auspicious occasion even in foreign countries.                                                  

The second day is the main Teej festival day, women spend the whole day without taking any food or water. In Kathmandu, thousands of women visit Pashupatinath Temple to worship Lord Mahadev. Respectively all Shiva temples around the country have a long queue to worship Lord Mahadev and seek blessings. At the end of the day, they eat some fresh fruits and drink Kada Pani (crystallized sugar water).

Chathurthi is the gap day between Teej and Rishi Panchami. On this day women wake up early in the morning, they take bath and worship the Goddess Parvati before taking any food.

On the last day of the Teej (Rishi Panchami), women wake up early in the morning, take a holy bath, clean their teeth with Dattiun steam. In rural areas, women go to the nearest river to take the holy bath on this day. After cleansing, they worship by offering food, money and various other offerings to seven Rishis of Hindu pantheon with a pure soul. They use Basil and Bel leaves (Aegle Marmelos) to worship. After finishing Puja women take food.!!!