Teej Festival

Teej festival is a yearly celebration that marks the advent of monsoons or sawan. It is also called the festival of swings. Teej festival is associated with Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The festival of Teej is synonymous with mehndi adorned palms, flowers, bangles, bandhani dupattas and mouth watering ghevar.  Hartalika Teej welcome the monsoon season and are celebrated primarily by girls and women, with songs, dancing and prayer rituals. The monsoon festivals of Teej are primarily dedicated to Parvati and her union with Shiva.[1] Women often fast in celebration of Teej. Hartalika Teej is celebrated in all parts of Nepal and most of the parts of North India (Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Rajasthan). Teej festivals are traditionally observed by women to celebrate the monsoons during the months of Shravan and Bhadrapada of Hindu calendar. Women often pray to Parvati and Shiva during Teej.