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Teej celebrated

     Jaipur: Young women in Rajasthan celebrated the monsoon festival of "Teej" with traditional fanfare and gaiety on Thursday. The festival celebrates the onset of the monsoon in the month Saawan, after the long and arduous summer. Teej marks the beginning of a series of fairs and festivals, which are celebrated throughout the autumn and winter months culminating in the spring festival of Gangaur. The festival is extremely popular among women in northern parts of the country. In Jaipur, the festival was celebrated in all its traditional fervour - women bedecked themselves with jewels and colourful sarees and applied henna on their palms. Ghevar, a milk-based sweet is the traditional Teej delicacy. Married women come to their parents' home to celebrate this festival. Dressed in their finest, they sing, dance and make merry. "We celebrate the Teej festival for the wellbeing of our husbands. Though it is celebrated in many parts of the country but in Rajasthan it is celebrated with great fervour. We wear leharia saree, and take part in Teej utsav," said Sunaina, a woman celebrating Teej. "We apply henna for longevity of our husbands. Ghevar (a sweet) is an important part of the Teej festival," Veena, another woman celebrating Teej, said. Though men also join in, the festival is mainly a women's festival for marital bliss. Women observe fast to rededicate themselves to their husband and family. It is believed that praying to Goddess Parvati helps bestow marital bliss. Fairs and cultural programmes are organised to mark the festival. The festival is celebrated in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as well.
-Aug 19, 2004