Teej festival 2019

Teej festival 2019: the most colorful and popular festival of Jaipur

Festivals

Jaipur is the sparkling city of the royal heritage and every corner of Jaipur is flavored with its victorious past of royals. Here the age-old tradition of fairs and festivals, meet the historic glory on the backdrop of desert and monumental buildings. It is an exotic destination visited by scores of tourists throughout the year to witness the number of festivals is celebrated here. One of those vibrant festivals is the Teej festival celebrated with ultimate thrill and enthusiasm. During the festivals, each particle of the city gets indulged in the celebration with great zeal.

When is the Teej festival celebrated?

Sawan Festival
The festival is celebrated with the outbreak of the monsoon season.

The festival is celebrated with the outbreak of the monsoon season. This is why it is also called as “Sawan Festival”. It generally falls on the 3rd day of the new moon fortnight into Shravan, the Hindu month. It comes between the months of July & August. This year, this festival will be celebrated on 3rd August to 4th August 2019 according to the Hindu calender’s month.

Why is the Teej Festival celebrated?

Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
Teej is celebrated in honor of the reunion between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati after years of penance

The festival of Teej is originated in Rajasthan and is one of the most popular and widely celebrated festivals here. Teej is celebrated in honor of the reunion between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati after years of penance. Goddess Parwati performed tough penance for 107 births. Only in 108th re-birth that she finally received Shiva as her husband after he accepted her devotion. Therefore, this festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. The festival is about celebrating womanhood and is primarily meant for married women and girls. The married women and girls worship goddess Parvati in order to gain virtue, devotion, and fertility along with praying for the well-being and prosperity of their husbands. This Teej festival is also celebrated for welcoming monsoon and in honor of abundant greenery and good harvest.

How is this festival celebrated

teej festival celebrated
Teej Festival Celebrated Jaipur

Colorful costumes, fasting for the whole day, song and dance with the religious procession is the most striking feature of the festival. It is celebrated by married women and girls in whom they keep fast for long and conjugal life of their husband. The Teej is celebrated for three days. The first day of the festival is called Sinjara which follows a tradition to send Sinjara to married daughters by her parents. Sinjara is a gift pack which comprises of symbols of marriage such as bangles, bindi, sindoor,  Lehariya saree, Mehendi, and sweets. Later in the evening, married women and girls get Mehendi put on their hands. On the second day its Nirjara Fast which meaning ‘fast without water’ they do rigorous fasting without single drop water and worship Goddess Parvati. They also do not sleep for 3 nights. This tough ritual signifies the tough penance done by Goddess Parvati to attain the love of Shiva. On this day idol of the goddess, Parvati is festooned with beautiful and bright clothes and palanquin procession is taken out. The religious procession of the festival is the most attractive feature of the festival.

The Teej Procession

Teej Procession
Teej procession in Jaipur

The Teej procession in Jaipur is the most popular one because of its vivid charm and glory. The procession at this place is marked by a number of well-decorated camels and elephants. The dressed-up idol of Teej Mata is taken on a procession with women chanting and singing devotional songs. The procession is a long walk that starts from Tripolia Gate in the afternoon and goes all the way to Chaugan Stadium. The joy of this procession doubles up with the presence of musicians playing several folk songs and women dancing on their tunes. To add to its glamour a number of artists, folk singers, dancers and acrobats also come here.

Importance of Teej in Jaipur

Festival of Swings
Teej is also known as the ‘festival of swings’ which marks the advent of the monsoon season.

Teej is the most cherished festivals for the womenfolk. During the celebration, women wear green colored bangles and adorn themselves in colorful attire which is mostly Leheriya prints. They put intricate designs of Mehendi on their hands and feet as a part of Teej Shringar. Teej is also known as the ‘festival of swings’ which marks the advent of the monsoon season. Wings are laid down in the garden and are decorated with flowers. Ladies swing and sing auspicious songs about the eternal love of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. They also praise the arrival of monsoons with singing folk songs and swaying on a tree swing. Not just women, both men, and women participate in the festival. Men also participate in a kite-flying competition and colorful kites can be seen all over the sky.

Teej Delicacies

Teej festival in Jaipur
The festival of Teej is incomplete without savoring both these delicious Rajasthani desserts.

Several delicacies are cooked on this occasion. Dal Baati Churma, kheer puri are common of them. Malpua and Ghevar are the trademarks of the Teej festival. Ghevar is a disc-shaped porous delicacy made with all-purpose flour soaked in sugar syrup. While Malpua is a popular Indian version of fried pancake made with flour and semolina batter and soaked in saffron-scented sugar syrup. The festival of Teej is incomplete without savoring both these delicious Rajasthani desserts.

Teej festival in Jaipur is famous for its lively colors, interesting rituals, and fanfare celebrations. It is one of the most popular festivals of India which gives tourists a chance to feel the religious fervor and cultural glory of this princely state. If you are planning a trip to Jaipur, don’t miss the chance to attend the celebrations of this festival.