Teej is a celebration of the monsoon also known as Shavan or Shravan in Hindi. There are mainly three Teej festivals celebrated by both married and unmarried Hindu women across India-Hariyali, Kajari Teej, and Hartalika Teej.
This year Hartalika Teej will be celebrated on August 21 (Friday). On this day, women dress up, decorate their hands with henna and also observe a fast.
The festival of Hartalika Teej is observed by both married and unmarried women in the honour of Goddess Parvati. This Teej is celebrated by women especially in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh, and Maharashtra.
According to drikpanchang.com, the puja muhurat is from 5.54 am to 8.30 am and Pradosh kala timing is from 6.54 pm to 09.06 pm on August 21. While morning is a good time to perform the puja, if not possible, one can perform the puja in the pradosha kaal also.
Hartalika is a combination of two Sanskrit words Harat(kidnap) + Aalika (female friend). It refers to the event that took place before Mata Parvati got married to Lord Shiva. According to a legend associated with this Teej, Mata Parvati’s father had chosen Lord Vishnu for her, but since she wanted to get married to Lord Shiva, she sought help from one of her friends. Mata Parvati’s friend “abducted” her and took her to a thick forest where she could hide. The word ‘abduction’ shouldn’t be misinterpreted. In this context, it is a gesture of lending help to a friend who wished to marry the man of her choice.