Last updated on August 23rd, 2024
Teej festival is a 2-day festival celebrating womanhood, her joy of things, and her devotion towards Goddess Parvati. Shravan is not just a month for Women, It is a way to connect them with themselves and with nature. This blog is about my experience of the Teej festival, about Sharvan month, and a go-to guide for your first-time visit to the grand celebration of Teej in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Read to know about this festival.
Festivals are a great way to express gratitude towards Mother Nature. And India is such a country where all the festivals are celebrated with great pomp and show. I believe that festivals play a vital role in meeting our relatives. Because we can’t meet our relatives every day, we meet them occasionally, and what is more like than festivals. All the family members meet at one place and enjoy a pleasant time.
And if we talk about the Teej festival, it is considered a unique festival in itself. Teej Festival is celebrated in north India. This festival is known as Hariyali Teej in Rajasthan because this is the time when Mother Earth wears a green dupatta aka greenery. Although this festival is celebrated in some other regions, such as Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, Teej is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy in Rajasthan, especially in Jaipur.
About Teej Festival
Teej festival is also known as the “festival of Swings.” In other regions, it is called Kajli Teej, Haritalika Teej, etc.
Teej festival is celebrated on the third day of Waxing Moon in the month of Shravan, which occurs between July and August. and this time it will be celebrated on the 7th of August. The weather becomes pleasant, and Wherever we look, we see only greenery.
The aroma of delicious Rajasthani sweet Ghevar — ( such a delicious dish ) that is made especially on this occasion, lingers in every nook and corner of Rajasthan. Every woman and girl celebrates this colorful festival with great joy and enthusiasm, wearing colorful dresses.
Women and girls adorn their palms with Mehandi (henna) before the previous day ( called Sinjara ) of Teej. Women adorn themselves with traditional outfits and do solah sringaar aka makeup on Teej. They go to gardens and enjoy jhoolas aka swings hanging from trees decorated with flowers and leaves, and dance in groups.
On this day, every family invites their newlywed daughters to celebrate this festival with them. Actually, newly-wed girls celebrate their first Teej at their parent’s home. Married women observe a long-day fast and offer prayers to Goddess Parvati for marital bliss, happiness, and prosperity. They break theirs’ fast after seeing the moon. Soon-to-be married girls receive gifts and sweets from their in-laws.
Mythological Significance
It is believed that Goddess Parvati did severe penance to meet Lord Shiva so that they could be reunited. Goddess Parvati took 108 births to unite Shiva. And then, pleased with the devotion of Goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva accepted her as his wife. That’s why unmarried girls fast on this day so that they get a good life partner just like Lord Shiva, and newly married women fast on this day to wish a happy and long married life to Lord Shiva-Goddess Parvati.
Auspicious Shravan Month
Shravan is not a month, it’s a reflection of happiness, whose days keep changing day-by-day with the pages of the calendar but the sweet moments don’t. And Teej festival falls on this precious month. I personally love this month rather than others as this is the time when the earth goes green when raindrops fall. The earth welcomes the rains and is surrounded by lush greenery.
I fast on every Monday of Shravan month because I’m a devotee of Lord Shiva. When I offer belpatra aka wood-apple leaves to Lord Shiva, it gives me the confidence to fill my incompleteness and emptiness. Sometimes Shravan looks like a friend, with whom I dance and sing and sometimes it seems like a lover for whom my heart wants to adorn myself. Shravan is not a month, it’s a shadow of my heart.
Celebrating Womanhood
All women feel proud to be women. In their hectic lives, the colors of Lehariya compel them to push their beauty toward themselves. Shravan’s Teej brings hope to their hectic schedule. Teej is not just a festival, it’s totally a get-together of women, in which only women are included, and men aren’t allowed. This festival realizes that every woman is too important in this male-dominated society, without her, this society cannot be imagined. These solah sringaar and swings make us realize that women have equal rights to fun, which no one can take away from them.
I especially love this Teej festival. I celebrate it with my family. We enjoy and relish delicious cuisines i.e. Dal-Baati-Churma, Ghevar, Poori-sabzi, Mirchi-bada, and so on.
Grand Celebration of Teej in Jaipur
And there is a grand celebration organized on this day. An elaborate procession of Teej Goddess is taken out in Jaipur with great pomp and show, watched by a large number of people.
Teej procession takes place in Jaipur which is world-wide famous. Not only Indians but Foreigners also come to Jaipur to witness this amazing procession. The Teej procession consists of a lavishly decorated Idol of Goddess Parvati which is placed in a palanquin and is carried out by 8 men wearing red-color dresses and taken to the walled city from City Palace to Tripolia Bazar. Antique gilt palanquins, bullock carts, chariots, elephants, and camels all form a part of the grand Teej. There are also traditional dance performances such as Ghoomar, Kalbelia, and Kacchi ghodi performed by dancers. Devotees throng to catch a glimpse of the Goddess and seek her blessings.
Women Living in Abroad follow Customs
Indian women living abroad also celebrate Teej with full custom. They have not forgotten their culture even living away from India. They celebrate it in the same way as they do in India. Applying Mehendi on the hands, keeping fast, doing Solah Shringar, worshiping Goddess Parvati, swinging in gardens, and then breaking the fast after seeing the moon at night, etc.
Women follow the rituals with full reverence. They believe that festivals connect us with customs, and they celebrate the Teej festival with great joy and gaiety. It is meant to say that wherever women live or work, they do not forget their customs and celebrate all festivals happily.
Highlights of Teej Festival
- This festival is especially celebrated by women (married or unmarried).
- Women adorn their palms with mehendi aka henna on the previous day (called Srinjara).
- Engaged girls receive many gifts such as clothes, makeup kits, jewelry, and sweets from their in-laws.
- Women go to the gardens and enjoy swinging.
- A grand procession of Goddess Parvati is carried out in the walled city of Jaipur. A large number of people from all over India and abroad witness this procession.
- Women wear a unique dress called Leheriya (which has crisscrossed lines) on this day.
- Parents invite their married daughters and celebrate this festival with a great pomp-and-show.
How to Reach Jaipur
Jaipur is well connected to major cities in India so there’s no hassle to reach here. One can reach Jaipur by rail, road, and air.
By Rail: Jaipur Junction is the main railway station of Jaipur which has bagged the cleanest Railway Station award under Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. You can reach Jaipur anywhere by train. If you take a train from Delhi then it takes 5 hours to reach Jaipur. Getting by train is considered the best and cheapest mode of transportation.
By Road: As Jaipur is well-connected by road so you can reach Jaipur by bus. You can reach Jaipur by Delhi through Volvo Bus in 5 hours or less.
By Air: Want to save time and use extra time to indulge in the city then flight is the best option for you. Jaipur International Airport operates flights to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.
Book your flight ticktes on Agoda.com
Where to Stay
As you’re coming to witness this vibrant festival, Jaipur offers you a range of accommodations from affordable to luxury according to your choices. It all depends on your budget. You can book your hotels and hostels from here:
Find Hotels in Jaipur on Agoda.com
Where to Relish Delicious Ghevar
If you have come to Jaipur and haven’t tried sumptuous Ghevar during the Teej festival, then you’re missing a delicious treat. Jaipur offers a wide range of food options during the Teej festival such as Ghevar, Dal-baati-churma, Malpua, Pheeni, Mirchi bada, and so on at various food outlets range from average to high-end restaurants to its tourists and everyone is better than the other. Below are some eateries where you would love to grab tasty Ghevar:
- Lakshmi Mishthan Bandhar
- Rawat Mishthan Bhandar
- Sodhani Sweets
- Sambhar Fini Wala
- Bhagat Mishthan Bhandar
- Gangaur Sweets
In the end, I would like to say that Teej is such an enchanting festival. Your travel experience will indeed be incomplete if you come to Jaipur in Monsoon and don’t witness this grand festival. So, it’s not too late yet, if you want to be a part of this grand festival and enjoy it, then book your tickets to Jaipur. Enjoy swings in the gardens, witness the grand teej procession, and relish ghevar and dal-baati-churma.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn some commission from any qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.
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