Hartalika Teej will be celebrated on August 21 this year. Teej is an Indian Festival celebrated by women that embarks the beginning of the Monsoon season. It is celebrated primarily by girls and women and the rituals are dedicated to Goddess Parvati and her union with Lord Shiva. Goddess Parvati is also known as “Teej Mata”.
The festival is celebrated with songs, dances, prayer rituals and women gather to decorate their palms with Henna (or Mehndi). The monsoon festivals of Teej include Haryali Teej, Kajari Teej, and Hartalika Teej.
According to Drik Panchang, on this day, devotees make statues of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati with sand and worship them. The world ‘hartalika‘ is made up of two words ‘harat‘ and ‘aalika‘ which means ‘abduction’ and ‘female friend’, respectively. According to Hindu mythology, a friend of Goddess Parvati had taken her to a forest so she could hide from her father who wanted her to marry Lord Vishnu, much against her wish.
The festivals celebrate the bounty of nature, the arrival of clouds and rain, greenery and birds with social activity, rituals, and customs. Women from different parts of India celebrate Teej in their different ways, but the idea of celebration remains the same.
Check out these traditional henna designs for Teej festival:
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
