TEEJ

What is Teej?

Teej is a festival celebrated by Nepali women, for the long life of her husband and long and firm relationship between them until the death this life and all the lives to come. Teej is observed for marital happiness, well-being of spouse and children and purification of own body and soul. Teej is  the most famous festival among Nepali women. 

The folk music and dances add more flavor to traditional values of Teej. It is fascinating to see women, in “Red” dancing and singing on the street, going to temple in holy and fasting mood. Teej is also called Hari Talika Teej. This festival is celebrated by Nepali Hindu women all across the world. Teej is a small red insect that comes out of the soil during the rainy season. It is said Teej got its name from the same red insect. That is why Teej is celebrated in red. Teej is traditionally dedicated to the Goddess Parvati,   remembering her union with Lord Shiva. It is a three-day-long celebration that combines splendid feasts as well as rigid fasting. Teej also welcomes and celebrates arrival of monsoon after a season of summer heat.

The eve (first day of Teej) is called Dar Khane Din. On this day all the family members especially the women, both married and unmarried gather at one place, in their finest outfits of red (calledSaubhagya)and start dancing and singing devotional songs mixed with Nepali folk and Dohori songs. This evening the grand feast takes place. The grand feast is called “Dar”. The fun often goes on till midnight, after midnight the 24-hour fasting starts. The timing of the festival is practical in a rural society like ours as it falls immediately after the farm work is over. This festival takes place after the farmers finish weeding their paddy fields.
Hindu women across the country celebrate this festival with much fun, the food they eat in the form of "dar" varies from place to place. In hills of eastern Nepal they take porridge, sel roti and mutton in the form of dar whereas in western Nepal, they eat rice cooked in ghee which they call latte. In the city, pulau, sweets, mutton, fish make the main menu of dar.

Teej special

These days it is becoming expensive to celebrate Teej as the people seem to be competing in inviting relatives and friends for the dar eating and spending more for other ritual practices.