Hariyali Teej 1999

The monsoon Teej of the north, kept on swings hung from trees.

Teej names several related but distinct North Indian monsoon festivals, not one uniform ritual observed everywhere. Hariyali Teej usually falls in Shravan Shukla Tritiya; Kajari Teej belongs to the later Krishna fortnight; Hartalika Teej is celebrated near Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya. Their dates, stories and fasting rules should be kept distinct. The current record's Shravan Shukla Tritiya is best understood as Hariyali Teej.

In the shared Shaiva devotional background, Parvati performs long austerities and perseveres in her wish to marry Shiva. The eventual union represents steadfast devotion. Some popular retellings give differing numbers of earlier births or years of penance, so none should be asserted as a precise historical count. Rain, green clothes, mehndi, swings hung from trees, folk songs and visits to the parental home give Hariyali Teej its own seasonal identity.

Celebrations are prominent in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and adjoining areas. Women gather for songs, worship and social festivities, while observance varies widely by household. Fasting must remain voluntary and compatible with health. A calendar should label this specific date Hariyali Teej rather than implying that all Teej festivals happen on Shravan Shukla Tritiya.

This record represents Hariyali Teej of Shravan Shukla Tritiya: Parvati’s devotion, monsoon greenery, swings and community songs. Kajari and Hartalika Teej have distinct dates and customs and should not be merged.

Swings are hung from trees and sung on. Green is worn, mehndi is put on, and married women are sent sindhara - clothes, bangles and sweets - from their parents' house. Ghewar is the sweet. Rajasthan takes Gauri's image through Jaipur in procession on the day.

Three separate Teejs are kept and they are not the same festival: Hariyali Teej in Shravan, Kajari Teej a fortnight later, and Hartalika Teej in Bhadrapad, which is the strictest and is kept without water. Rajasthan and Braj keep the first, Bihar and eastern UP the second, and Nepal, Bihar and the south-east the third.