Hariyali Teej date

India is a place known for its festivals, where individuals from various religions exist together amicably. The wide variety of festivals celebrated in India speaks a genuine tale of its rich culture and customs. Some of the festivals have a spiritual basis to them. Some festivals are symbolic of certain significant phenomena that have changed the lives of people living in the Indian subcontinent. Some festivals have an astronomical significance, and some festivals are connected to nature. Teej festivals are one such festival that is connected to nature and carries deep meaning in it.

Just like Karva Chauth, Teej is one of the most loved festivals in India. Let us understand the meaning of the word 'Teej.' The word Teej means 'third.' This is so because the festival usually falls after the third day of a full moon or new moon night. The advent of monsoons is celebrated in this festival. This year the Hariyali Teej date was 11th August 2021. In Teej festivals, primarily Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are worshipped.

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Different Types of Teej festivals

During Shravana and Bhadrapada, three types of Teej(s) are celebrated by women. These festivals are named Hariyali Teej, Kajari Teej, and Hartalika Teej, but they are other names based on local traditions. Other Teej festivals like Akha Teej, popularly known as Akshaya Tritiya and Gangaur Tritiya. These are not a part of three Teej festivals. As three Teej festivals, the Hariyali Teej, Kajari Teej, and Hartalika Teej are special Teej festivals that fall during Shravana and Bhadrapada masa. These two months coincide with Varsha Ritu or the monsoon period.   

Hariyali Teej 2021: 

Hariyali Teej is one of the most significant festivals celebrated in India. It is generally celebrated in almost all parts of India. Still, its effect and culture are more seen in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand. There are many other names for this Hariyali Teej festival. This is called SawanTeej or Shravan Teej in some parts of the country, as it falls on the Sravanamasam of the Hindu calendar. As per the drikPanchang, Hariyali Teej’s date starts on 10 August; the Tritiya tithi begins at 06.05 PM and ends on 11 August 2021, 04.53 PM.

About Hariyali Teej or Sindhara Teej:

The celebration is devoted to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. As it falls during the monsoon season (Sawan), it is known as Hariyali Teej when nature becomes green. On this day, parents of wedded young ladies sendSindharaand many gifts to their little girls and her in-laws. It contains hand-made desserts, Ghewar, Heena, bangles, and so on. It is a custom of sending Sindhara by the parents to the little girl and her parents-in-law, so Hariyali Teej is otherwise called Sindhara Teej. Hariyali Teej is also alluded to as Choti Teej and Shravan Teej. However, Kajari Teej comes fifteen days after Hariyali Teej and is known as Badi Teej.

Significance of Hariyali Teej

The most significant thing about Hariyali Teej is celebrated as the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. In other words, Hariyali Teej is celebrated as the union of masculine and feminine. This is symbolic of creation. The union of masculine and feminine leads to the creation of new life. When Rain falls on the land, plants take birth which nourishes all life.

The name Hariyali Teej, as mentioned above, celebrates the greenery of the monsoon month of India. On this day of the year, women dress up in traditional green saree, green bangles, apply henna in their hands, and observe day-long fasting to pray. During the festival, the married women visit their parent's homes, celebrate with the family, and sing Teej songs. They offer Belpatra, fruits, flowers, and rice coated in turmeric to GoddessParvati and pray for their husband's safety and happiness in their married life. The unmarried women also observe fasting and pray to Lord Shiva and wish for a husband of their choice.

Kajari Teej 2021

Out of the three Teej festivals celebrated in the monsoon time in India, Kajari Teej, also known as Badi Teej, is celebrated on the third day of the dark fortnight Bhadrapada masa. Kajari Teej is also called Boorhi Teej. It is called Badi Teej as it follows Hariyali Teej, which is called Choti Teej. Kajari Teej is the upcoming Teej festival. Kajari Teej comes three days after Raksha Bandhan And five days before Krishna Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna. Therefore, this year it will fall on 25th August 2021. It is observed on the Tritiya tithi of the Krishna paksha in the month of Bhadrapada. The tithi will begin at 4.04 PM on August 24 and end at 04.18 PM on August 25.

Significance of Kajari Teej:

The significance of Teej is it celebrates nature. Kajari Teej or badi Teej has been a festival for a long time. It is an age-long festival celebrated in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, etc. On this day, the women visit their parent's house to participate in the celebration and perform various rituals. They perform the Kajari folk song. This folk song describes the women's sweet pain of short separation from their husbands. They also perform fasting to seek blessing from Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva as they are considered the divine representation of a happily married couple. On this day of the festival, married women wake up early in the morning, take a bath, wear new clothes and jewelry, perform fasting and pray to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. They recite the Kajari Teejkatha and perform aarti.

Hartalika Teej:

Hartalika Teej is celebrated on the Tritiya of Shukla Paksha Of, the North Indian lunar month. Hartalika Teej is one of the three Teej, including Hariyali Teej and Kajari Teej, celebrated throughout the country by Hindu women in different ways according to their local culture. This Hindu festival is celebrated in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. This year it was celebrated on 11 August 2021.

Theme And Significance Of Teej

Teej celebrates the advent of the monsoon. The Monsoon is compared to Mother Nature, the all-nourishing GoddessParvati, as the Monsoon nourishes life like a mother. The feminine qualities like dedication, sacrifice, patience are admired in this festival through the story about how Parvati, through her sacrifice, her dedication, her patience, would be able to force an ascetic like Lord Shiva to come to the mortal land. Not only that, Shiva even agreed to accept Parvati and became a Bhogi instead of a yogi.

Festivals have always been a part of India and its culture. It also attracts people around the world to embrace our uniqueness and our way of living. On the surface, it seems like some celebration with a positive aura, but festivals have the power to transform us inside and out deep inside. It can make us question our reality. It can drive us to the spiritual roots.

Moreover, we get to spend quality time with our family. After all, the work that we do to earn a living is for the family's welfare. We slowly become entangled with our work and forget what it is all about. Festivals make us see where happiness lies and where to look for it. Festivals move us closer to reality.