Teej celebrations takes place in various parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat. Being an important women festival, Teej is celebrated with full verve and enthusiasm. It is held to mark the advent of monsoon season and also a very important festival for engaged and married women.
On this day, women pray to Goddess Parvati for long and healthy life of their husband. There are many activities performed by women to celebrate the holy festival of Teej. Women feel immense pleasure in celebrating the festival and make various preparations before hand.
Why is Teej Celebrated?
Teej commemorates the reunion of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is believed that Goddess Paravati took 108 births to have Lord Shiva as her husband. Since then it is proclaimed that who so ever worships Parvati Ma is blessed with happy married life. At the time of Teej, women observe Nirjara Vrat so that Goddess Parvati becomes happy and bless their husband with long and healthy life.
How is Teej Celebrated?
Teej is celebrated in a very colorful way. Women start preparing for Teej a week before the festival. For Teej celebration, women buy new clothes, jewelry and accessories to wear on the festival day. Markets are usually crowded with women shopping for various items to adorn oneself. On Teej, women try to look as beautiful as they can. Intricate mehndi designs are also applied to hands and feet. On the main Teej day, women even visit beauty parlors. Women spend a lot of money of Teej preparations. Even husbands do not say anything to their wife and help them in festival preparations.
Teej celebrations are not only confined to the women celebrating the festival. Teej celebrations take place round the city. A special Teej procession is organized in which the bedecked idol of Goddess Parvati is kept on a palanquin and carried out in the procession. Numerous artists, performers, band members and folk dancers follow the procession showing their magnificent skills. People dance down the streets along with other performers as they completely engross in Teej festivities.
Apart from this, women love to celebrate the festival by making their own special arrangements. Beautifully decorated swings are hung from trees and attractively dressed women dance and sing various Teej and Sawan songs. Fragrance of flowers on Teej swings pervade the atmosphere. After this, women offer prayers to Parvati Mata and the Teej Vrat successfully completes.
At the end of the day, husbands come to pick their wife and sometimes even bring presents for them. This way Teej Celebrations bring lot of happiness for both married and unmarried couples and create some everlasting memories.
Teej Festival Recipe
Ingredients Flour : 3 cup s ghee : 1 cup Water : ½ cup Milk : ½ cup Ice cubes : 3-4 pcs Yellow food color : ¼ tsp Ghee : 1 cup (for deep frying) Kewra essence : 5-6 drops
Add sugar to the boiled water to prepare sugar syrup. Take ghee in a large bowl. Add milk, flour and 1cup water. Mix together to make a smooth batter. Dissolve some color in the water with Kewra essence and to the batter. Add more water if required. Batter should be very smooth and thin. Take an aluminum cylinder or a long cylindrical container with height 12 inches and diameter 5-6 inches. Fill half the container with ghee and heat. When ghee is hot, take 50ml glass full of batter and pours it slowly in the centre of the ghee. Allow foam to settle. Similarly, pour one more glassful in hole formed in the centre. When foam settles again, loosen Ghevar with an iron skewer inserted in the hole. Place ghevar on the wire mesh to drain excessive oil. Pour hot sugar syrup in the flat bottomed container to fit in ghevar. Put ghevar in it and drain excessive syrup. Cool it for a while, cover with silver foil. Splash a few drops of saffron milk and sprinkle some pistachios and almonds with cardamom powder. Ghevar is ready to serve.
Teej Festival Enjoy
Teej Festival involves numerous activities of great fun and excitement. Married women, unmarried girls, grandmothers and even kids enjoy the festival with extreme jubilation and enthusiasm. Teej rituals and customs have created a deeper impact on its celebration. On Teej, women and especially husbands love to greet their wife in a special way. They make it a special day for their beloved by gifting them cards, Teej gifts, take them out for shopping and even post messages on websites to express their eternal love.
Women celebrate Teej in a very jolly mood. They dance, sing and offer prayers to Goddess Parvati. At home, special dishes are cooked for the family members. On Teej, women just love to pamper themselves and feel free to do anything.
