The monsoon has finally come knocking on our doors, and needless to say, the vibe in the country is suddenly a notch happier and festive. In India, monsoons are the time to revel in celebrations and indulge in delicious food. There are so many festivals tied to the season too. Teej, Rakshabandhan and Janmashtami are all celebrated in these few rainy months. Teej is a festival celebrated by Hindu women, mostly in parts of Rajasthan, Harayana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Women wake up early, deck themselves in pretty clothes and jewellery and fast for their husbands' health and their marital life. They also apply beautiful henna designs on their hands and sing folk songs. In some parts of the country, they also gather together for the prayer rituals, followed by playing under trees on swings. Hariyali Teej is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Parvati and her holy union with Lord Shiva. Here's all that you wanted to know about the festival.
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2019 Hariyali Teej Date, Puja Mahurat
Teej is third day that falls every month after the new moon (Amavasya), and the third day after the full moon night of every month. There are three Teej festivals that are celebrated widely across the country. Haryali Teej, Kajari Teej and Hartalika Teej.
This year Hariyali Teej falls on 3rd August 2019.
Tritiya Tithi Begins - 01:36 AM on Aug 03, 2019
Tritiya Tithi Ends - 10:06 PM on Aug 03, 2019 (source: Drikpanchang.com)
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Significance Of Hariyali Teej
Hariyali in Hindi means green. On the day of Hariyali Teej, women adorn themselves in all hues of green, from bangles to sari. They fast whole day and pray to Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva for their marital life. Some young women also observe the fasts. Some women consume fruits and milk through the day, while some opt for a 'nirjala vrat', wherein they refrain from drinking even a drop of water through the day. Pregnant women and women who are sick are advised not to observe such a rigid fast. On this day, women offer bel patra, fruits, flowers and rice coated in turmeric to Goddess Parvati, sing songs and listen to folk tales. They break their fasts with a hearty vegetarian meal consisting of dal, pulav, many different kind of curries and papad. They also indulge in many festive sweets like ghevar and ladoo. Ghevaris a Rajasthani sweet that is prepared lavishly around Teej. It resembles a honeycomb and is made of all-purpose flour, topped with khoya, cream, nuts and silver varq. Here's a Malai Ghewar recipe you can try at home for this Hariyali Teej.
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Happy Teej everybody!