Hariyali Teej, the green Teej, belongs to the monsoon. Hariyali means greenery, and the festival comes when the rains have turned the land green. It is kept above all in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh by women, who dress in green, apply mehndi, sing, and swing from ropes hung in trees. It is the first of three Teej festivals, with Kajari Teej and Hartalika Teej.
Month and tithi
Hariyali Teej is the Shukla Tritiya of Shravana, the third day of the bright fortnight. The Tritiya page describes the tithi. Shravana is the same month in the amanta and purnimanta calendars for the bright half, so the name does not change between north and south.
The story
The tradition tells that Parvati had been born again many times and vowed to marry Shiva. In her last life she did long penance, and Shiva, pleased by her devotion, accepted her on this day. The festival is believed to celebrate the reunion of the two. This is how the story is commonly told in north India; versions differ from place to place, and the Puranic texts that tell of Parvati’s penance do not agree on every detail.
How it is kept
Women wake early, bathe and dress in green saris and bangles. Many fast through the day, in some homes without water, and break the fast in the evening after worship of Shiva and Parvati. Clay images or pictures are decorated with flowers and fruits, and songs are sung, often about the rains and a woman’s wish to visit her parents. Mehndi on the hands is an important part of the day.
Swings are hung from branches or from the ceiling of a veranda and are decorated with flowers. Daughters who are married go to their parents’ homes, and the mother-in-law sends a gift called sindhara, which includes sweets, bangles and a sari. The Jaipur procession in Rajasthan, with a decorated image of the goddess, is one of the best known public Teej festivities. Ghevar, a honeycomb sweet, is the signature food of the season.
How the day is fixed
The rule used here follows Drik Panchang: the festival is on the civil day on which Tritiya is in force at sunrise. If it is in force at sunrise on two days, the first is taken. The table gives the date for each city together with the times at which the tithi begins and ends.
Why cities differ
The tithi begins and ends at the same instant everywhere, but sunrise happens at a different clock time in each city. A Tritiya that ends a few minutes before sunrise in one city is still in force at sunrise in another, and the festival is then a day apart. Cities in Australia and North America can show different days from India in the same year. The any-city tool works out your own place.
A calm note
A fast is a personal choice, and the festival does not require a hard one. If you are pregnant, nursing, elderly or taking medicine, a lighter fast with fruit and milk is a valid way of keeping it, and a doctor is the right person to ask. The swing, the songs and the company are as much a part of the day as the fast. Follow your own family and community for the day.