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Haritalika Teej - Women’s Festival
Nepal is a multicultural country where there are more than 101 ethic groups inhabited in different parts of the country.Each groups of people celebrate their own festivals, nearly each day considered as the festivals on the basis of cultural groups.Including others popular festivals Teej consider as the most significant festivals observed by women.
According to methodological origin, it is celebrated as Parvati’ union with lord Siva after her long and hard penance, then that we can analized that it is a festival celebrated in memory of the victory of a wife’s love and devotion towards her husband.
Traditionally Teej were the medium to express their sorrows, suffering, struggle, pain and feelings that they have at their in-law's house in the form of singing and dancing through which their burdens lightened.This Festival celebrate for three phases including, Dar Khane din, Haritalika Teej and Rishi Panchami Puja.
The first day is considered the ‘Dar Khane din ‘where all the married women gathered at material homes prepared delicious meals and sang, dancing with full freedom and shared all the suffering, sorrows, struggle and emotion.
Traditionally, on the second Day is called 'Haritalika Tej' where all the married women worship at Shiva Temple, fasting even without water for Husband healthy and long life.Now women fast not only for husband long life it is also for their own health and wish for the entire family wellbeing.
Third Day is known as the Rishi Panchami Puja, which is Women's day of purification. However, Rishi Panchami is related with worship of the Sapta Rishi( seven powerful saint).It is falls on the 3rd day of Hartalika Teej.It is observe by both married and unmarried girls who are reach their menstruation period.On this ritual ,women take a ritual bath in holy river/pond before the rising of the sun, apply special type of mud to their body, use datiwan herbs as a toothbrush.The fast and bath is taken in order to seek forgiveness from the saints for any mistakes committed during the menstruation period because menstruation believed to be impure in hindu religion.Moreover it is ritual, faith,and continuity of the culture there's not such purity and pollution.
There are transformations in celebrating Teej then we come to understand that it is a festival celebrated as an occasion of union with parents, brothers and sisters in their maternal home with sense of joy and happiness. During this festival women gather at their material home, have delicious meals, sing and dance with full sense of freedom and enjoyment during the occasion.
While many women still celebrate Teej as religious rituals in ancient sense, many others take as an aspect the importance part of the hindu culture with modern sense. Apart from various views and perspectives about these festivals, it has been an integral part of the women in the hindu society of south Asia and beyond.
However, Teej provides a sense of joy and happiness to the women who are subjugated by patriarchal domination. In Nepalese society and are free to reunion with material home and family and family and enjoy fully if only this occasion.
