Teej is a very important festival in Rajasthan, mainly amongst the Marwari community. It is celebrated in the months of July-August marking the advent of monsoons. It has great significance in Rajasthan as it is observed to provide relief from the scorching heat of summer. Thus, it is popularly called the Sawan Festival.
The significance of Teej comes from two main reasons, first, the advent of monsoons and second, the union of Shiva- Parvati.
As per Hindu mythology, this day is associated with the victory of a wife’s devotion towards her husband. Women across India, especially in Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh observe a Nirjal Vrat for their husbands.
Teej means advent of monsoons, thus, women enjoy this break from heat and daily chores with swings and songs.
Married women generally visit their parents place and receive gifts from their in-laws and spouse.
On the day of Teej, women pay special attention to their appearance by wearing colorful Leheria Sarees and applying henna on their hands.
Hi Meghna, Welcome to IL and nice that your started your first post with Teej. You're right, Teej has great significance in Rajasthani families. The last week wore a festive look in our house as friends and relative poured in to celebrate Teej.
In our family, we celebrate Teej as a custom, when all the women in the family get together in a common venue (we host Teej alternatively in one's place..that's fun!). This year, it was I had the privilege to host the occasion. We invite our family mehendiwali baasa, who has been associated with our family for a few generations to apply mehendi to all who wants to. And I bet, her mehendi is just beautiful...
That was a nice information about Teej. It must be day of fun and enjoyment for the ladies .
Gayathri, wow you got to host it. Guess you must have had a great time. Do share more of the celebrations that you had. I mean what were things that you ladies did that day in your home. What were the goodies that you had .
bye
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Yes Saraswathi, Teej for us is a celebration and a ritual to seek blessing for marital bliss. It is a celebration to commemorate the love and patience of Goddess Parvati as she united with her Lord Shiva after 108 years of penance.
The women keep fast during the day and drink water only in the evening. Both married and unmarried girls dress up in traditional colored clothes. Women are usually seen in auspicious red, green and yellow colored lehangas, suits and sarees.We also bedeck ourselves in jewelleries, lots of bangles and perform puja of Goddess Parvati, who is also revered as Teej Maata.
Apart from that, swings are a must for Teej. We have a special swing made only to be used in this day of the year, which is hung from a strudy branch of a tree and decorated with flowers and leaves.
Hi Friends, This is the first time I got to know, see and celebrate Teej with my friends in our housing society. We have a very cosmopolitan population here and we celebrate each others festivals. I enjoyed the festive mood of the festival where ladies got together and applied mehendi.
In the evening, there was a get-together hosted by ladies mainly from Rajasthan and the Nothern States, where ladies joined in dressed in their very best as they sang songs and told the Teej Katha, which says about the significance of Teej and speaks in glorification of Goddess Parvati, who united with Shivji after doing hard penance for more than 100 years.
The only thing missing was of course the flower bedecked jhula, which I guess is a difficult proposition in an apartment building. But all I can say is that Teej is a beautiful ritual, so pure and I look forward to celebrating it next year too.
Look forward to hearing about your Teej day too. I heard there are 3 Teej? Anyone knows about that?
seems i had missed out on this thread earlier.......
This was my frist teej after marriage and was really super excited about it....i was under the impression so far that only Maheshwari community celebrate this festival and for us it is the most important one.... we also call it "sattudi teej" as a special sweet called "saatu" or "sattu" is made for each member of the family.
I am married to a Sindhi guy and now only got to know that this is also the most important festival at my in-laws side too ... its called "kajli teej" here..... at my in-laws place they only keep fast and after seeing the moon they eat food..... which is a bit different then traditions at my mom's place...... and now i get to know its celebrated by others too!!!!
But there is one difference.... meghna said teej was on 27th July i think that is what we call "choti teej"..... we celebrate "badi teej" which was on 9th August ..... so seuli, we do have 3 teej..... the two stated above and the third is hadtalika teej which is the most important festive day for some of the communities!!!!
I had just moved to Dubai and was all alone here..... infact at one point of time i was really depressed that how will i celebrate teej and that too my first teej (which is of special importance)!!! It was then i started my journey with IL..... i was serching for maheshwari's in dubai and indeed landed up at IL (which has now become my addiction).....though i couldnt get ne contacts of maheshwari's but then thankfully i got to know there is one of my relative here in dubai and celebrated with them..... we had a get together at their place... we were 6 couples and together we offered prayers to neem mata in traditional way offering haldi, kumkum, mehandi, chawal, kajal, satu, fruits to neem mata and then seeing fruits and other things in the milk-water mixture offered to neem mata in a "parath".... katha is also said..... in some people's tradition they eat food one time while in others the women only eat sathu and fruits.... it was a great fun!!!
about teej: Teej has been assigned the first place among the festivals. There are three Teej festivals in a year (Badi Teej, Choti Teej and Hadtalika Teej) and fairs are held on those occasions in towns and villages. Badi Teej is also known as Sathu Teej and Kajari Teej. The Hartalika Teej observed on the third day of the waxing phase of moon in Bhadrapad month is also referred as Badi Teej by some Hindu communities. Choti Teej, on the third day of the bright half of the month of Shravan is a festival for girls. Badi Teej for the daughter's-in-law is held on the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapad or Bhadon. Badi Teej or Kajli Teej is an important observance in Rajasthan and other parts of North India. Fasting on the Badi Teej is from sunrise to sighting of the moon. Married women fast on the day for the welfare of their husbands and for a peaceful and happy life, while unmarried women fast for getting a good husband. The prayers are dedicated to the Neem tree, referred as Neem Mata. In some regions the prayers and fasting is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. One day prior to Teej, there is the Sinjara or Singhara (mehendi ceremony) and women get gifts and they go on a shopping spree on the day.
Thanks Bharti for sharing with your your first Teej celebrations. . Reading it, I felt I was there with you. I didn't know there are so many Teej celebrations. Amazing!
By the way, what was your special gift on your first Teej? Is there certain customs relating to exchanging gifts on Teej. I mean do you also have to give gifts to your mother-in-law on Teej?
Teej - How do you celebrate? 
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... its called "kajli teej" here..... at my in-laws place they only keep fast and after seeing the moon they eat food..... which is a bit different then traditions at my mom's place...... and now i get to know its celebrated by others too!!!!
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