Teej Festival in Nepal

Hindu religious significance Teej known as women's fasting festival has been celebrated throughout the country from 16, September, 2015. Here is detailed description of about Teej how it is celebrated by the Hindu women during the auspicious occasion.

Generally, the eve of Teej festival is celebrated with utmost dedication and love by the women in Nepal. Preparations for the festival begin nowadays well in advance. Fabric stores, sarees and suit outlets are stocked with the bridal red color fabric. The fasting, pray and worship festival of both married and unmarried women have been celebrating for the long life, marital happiness, well-being of her husband and children and purification of own body and soul cordial relationship between them, wish for getting a good husband for the unmarried women. Traditional singing and dancing together with devotional songs, finest outfits of red sari by married women, crowd of women's in Hindu temple for worshipping god is the main features of the festival that can be observed throughout the countryside. Likewise, most of the devotees of Kathmandu go to the Pashupatinath temple, the biggest Hindu holy shrine in the world.

Teej festival is also the national festival of Nepal during this occasion, government announces the national holiday for grand celebration. This festival can be seen and heard through the different local Medias like Television and Radio's live broadcasting. On whole, it is a three-day-long celebration that combines splendid feasts as well as rigid fasting and each day has its own significance.

First Day is Dar Khane Din

The first day of Teej starts from eating of special delicious food called the 'Dar'. Dar is made with the mixture of different items of food. On this day, the women wearing the finest clothed gather at one place and perform traditional dance and sing devotional songs. Grand feast take place during the evening. The fun celebrations continue till midnight after which the 24-hour-long fasting begins.

Second Day is Fasting Day

This is the main festival day of Teej concerned to worship and pray. Despite of permission to consume liquid and fruit, some women take rigid fast throughout the day, refusing to take even a drop of water. Married women prepared for celebration happily by wearing red dresses with jewelries. The holy Pashupatinath area is covered by the crowd of women for religious ceremony, to worship Lord Shiva Lingam (phallic symbol of the lord), offering flowers, sweets and coins along with burning lamp inside the temple area. Moreover, the beautifully decorated idols of Shiva and Parvati are offered fruits and flowers to seek blessings of the divine spirits. Lighting of an oil lamp is very important part of the puja ceremony. It is said that the oil lamp should be kept lit all night to avoid bad omen.

Third day is Rishi Panchami

After over the previous day's pooja, the third day of the Teej Festival is called Rishi Panchami known as the act of purification. On this day, women get up early at dawn in order to have holy bath, along with its leaves. It is believed that taking a holy bath take away all sins of the previous year. At last, after completion of bathing, they sit in a semicircle while a priest sitting in the middle chants devotional prayers.

This festival also provides an opportunity to get together in parents home for married women. There is a tradition that, a married woman comes to her parent's house only at the invitation of parents or brothers. As timing of celebration the Teej festival is a perfect season, usually falls after over of the firm work.