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| photo courtesy nagariknews |
Today is the Teej Day in Nepal.Teej is one of the biggest festival for women in Nepal.Teej is celebrated for 3 days.The First day is called the Dar Khane Din, second the main Teej day and the last day Rishipanchami.Teej is mainly celebrated by Hindu women in Nepal however many women from other religions also enjoy this festival as Nepal has enjoyed a religious harmony for years.Teej is celebrated also in India by Hindu women mainly in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, hariyana, Chhatisgadh , Rajantan,Madhya Pradesh etc.
Teej literally means the 3 or the 3rd which is why Teej falls on the 3rd day of every month after the Full Moon night(Purnima) or Moonless night (Amabasya or Aunshi).That means there are 12 Teejs in a year round.But the one mainly celebrated once a year is the hariyali or Green Teej.In South Asian continent, the july is the month of Monsoon, so after the monsoon, it will be green everywhere which is the sign of productivity and prosperity.So the 3rd day after the Moonless Night after the monsoon is the main Green or Hariyali Teej.In general it called Haritalika Teej in Nepal.
This festival has three important religious and social parts.Firstly reunion with Parents or Birth Home, Second refresh the relationship with their husbands or lovers if unmarred and the third is reunion with their lovely friends.On the other hand this festival has 3 spiritual parts; love, life and the Art of Living.Love with parents, Love with Husband and the love with Friends are 3 different aspects of loves that women will observe in this festival whereas a feeling of changes in life or the wish of changes in life, and the practical life they live with their husbands away from their parents are other aspects of life.you will wish long life and prosperity to your husband and children , if you are still unmarried you will wish for a good husband.And the third part is the art of living, which consists of nutritious foods, fasting, dress colorful, wear Ornaments, go to Temples, Sing, dance wild , get naughty and play Teej songs, all these somehow pictures the art of living.If you combine all these in a proper way, your life will be healthy and happy.
The first day of the Teej is called the Dar Khane Din.That day women prepare for the next main Teej day fasting.That's why they have feasting at every home eating good foods and fruits, as they will be fasting the next day, they want to have as much energy as they can reserve in their body that's why they eat relatively larger portion and off course the nutritious foods which the energy lasts for longer.After the
midnight of the first day the Dar Eating process ends and the fasting day starts.
The main Teej day girls and women go fasting until the midnight.This day they go to Shiva Temples near by them.There is always a long queue in Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu.While waiting to worship, women sing and dance in many groups, they wear Red and Green Sarees and Kurtas by some.They wear Red and Green Churas(Bangles) and many of them have Mehendi on their hands these days, a similar print like Tattoos but in temporary and artistic print and mainly pale green in colour.After the whole day fasting, singing, dancing and worshiping, the day ends up with tired, hungry and exhausted body.They will start eating after the midnight but many of them start eating once the stars are seen on the sky.
The last day of the Festival is called Rishipanchami.After the Main day's fasting and worshiping, women this day worship to different Deities.Traditionally women go to bath with red mud from the roots of Datiwan, a sacred bush, and and it's leaves.They believe bathing with it will wash all their sins and purify their body and soul.But because of the unavailability of this kind of Sacred Datiwan Plant, most of the women just go to near by temples, bath in the holy rivers and worship the Sages and Lord Shiva.
Nepal has public holiday on Teej Day and the Rishi Panchami.As usual, women are celebrating Teej all over Nepal today.
Happy Teej To All Nepali Women.
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