Haritalika Teej festival today

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Sept. 18:Both married and unmarried women will be observing Haritalika Teej in a grand manner on Monday.  The women will fast the whole day wishing for a prosperous life, perpetual luck and happiness for their families, husbands and children. 

The festival, which was limited to the women of the Brahmin and Kshatriya castes in the past, is now marked also by women belonging to other ethnic groups. 

Teej is a three-day long festival-- Dar Khane (feasting day), Teej (the fasting day) and Rishi Panchami. 

 The women feast on the second day of Bhadra Krishna Paksha and fast even without drinking water the next day, which is called Haritalika Teej.  The main festival associated with Goddess Parvati falls on the third day of Bhadra Krishna Paksha.

Teej has religious importance as it is the day of celebration of the reunion of Lord Shiva and Parvati.

A day before Teej, on the night of the second day of the fortnight, women enjoy a variety of delicacies known as Dar in Nepali at their parental homes where they are especially invited for the Teej festival. 

Revellers throng Pashupati from early in the morning to offer worship to Lord Shiva on the day of Teej. They stand in long queues braving the sun and even downpour to pray to Lord Shiva.

The premises of Pashupatinath have already been decorated with flowers for  Teej.  “We hope the flowers will make them happy and reduce their tiredness,” said Rewati Raman Adhikari, spokesperson for Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT).

He informed that Pashupatinath’s main entrance as well as three other gates will also be decorated. “The devotees can take photographs in front of the floral designs,” he said.

He also asked visitors not to wear valuable ornaments while visiting Pashupatinath on that day. “Thieves and pickpockets take advantage of the crowd and steal cash or snatch jewellery. So, we advise everyone to avoid having expensive jewels on them.”

On Teej, all four gates of the temple will open at 3.00 am, and they will remain open all day except during the time of Shreeyantra pooja and Mahabhog.  

The devotees will be grouped into four lines, and arrangements have been made to allow the people to enter the temple in an orderly manner, Adhikari said, adding that senior citizens and visitors with disabilities would be allowed to enter through any gates.

Vehicle parking will be managed at Tilganga, Sifal and open ground at Guheshwori.  On the day of Teej, the women decorate them putting on bangles, and necklaces made of glass beads and vermillion powder which are considered the symbol of good luck. Most women wear red saris, and other red outfits and different ornaments. 

Meanwhile, the Kathmandu District Administration Office (CDO) has banned the sale of meat, alcohol and intoxicants around the Pashupati Temple on the day of Teej.  Issuing a press note on Sunday, it has informed that the sale of meat, alcohol and intoxicants has been prohibited in the Pashupati area in order to maintain religious and cultural dignity and sanctity including security. As the Haritalika Teej festival falls on Monday, keeping in mind the festival, in order to maintain safety and religious and cultural dignity and sanctity within the holy Pashupati area, no one is allowed to sell meat, alcohol and intoxicants in the Pashupati area. 

Production, sale, transportation, storage and consumption of narcotics and narcotic substances have been completely banned effective from September 17, read the statement.