An yearly Teej festival celebrated in Jumla

Devotees dancing infront of Shiva temple at Dansanghu.

In Jumla, The Dansanghu Shiva temple gets the maximum number of devotees on this day. Women devotees took bath in holy dovan (meeting point of two river Juwa and Tila). It is believed that taking bath in holy place will washed out their sin.After taking bath, they dressed new clothes they brought from their home. Their they offered puja at Shiva Temple. After offering puja, different group of women dance with the traditional songs of Teej infront of Shiva temple.

From last few years, Dovan Shanti Yuva club used to organise a Teej songs and dance competiton at the ground of Dovans Primary School attached with the holy place Dansanghu.  As like this women from different villages comes and dance at Tudikhel and Bhagawati temple near to Airport.

One of the organise committee member Mr.Dharmendra Mahatara said; "We start this Teej Songs and dancing programme because to save and preserve our culture and Hope to motivate youth to respect and own our culture so that after we passed our generations can contiune."

Religious Aspects of Teej :                              

Teej has very special attachment. According to hindu belief goddess Parbati fasted and prayed to have Lord shiva as her husband and seeing her full devotion lord shiva accepted her as his wife.Thus,this is known to be the birth of festival teej, which is celebrated with love and excitement.

Devotees rounding the Shiva temple at Dansanghu.

Lord shiva and goddess Parbati is heartly worshipped with full devotion in this festival. married wone fast and pray for  life good health and wealth of their husband while unmarried  girls fast to get good ,cultured and handsome husband in future.Teej is a cultural celebration celebrated all over the world wher hindu lives with various joyful celebrattions. Traditional dances and songs form an important feature of Teej celebrations. Red color is considered auspicious for women observing Teej fast and so most of them dress up in red or bridal clothes. Teej is also called “Hari Talika Teej”.

How Teej Celebrated

Festival of teej starts with practice of ‘eating darr' (Darr refers to any kind of delicious food). Teej is celebrated for three days. Each day has its own singnificance. These days eating dar and dancing  at evening begins from 10/15 days before Teej start.

Fasting and dancing on the day of Teej is believed to have happy and prosperous life of their husband and getting husband.

The eve (first day of teej)

is called darr khane din when women fasting for teej have many delicious foods as they have to fast on the day of teej without food and even water. On this day women (relatives and friends) gather together in their finest attire with their lovely ornaments, prepare different kinds of delicious foods, dance, sing, and have fun of their own kind. Usually the celebration of darr goes till midnight.

Second day of Teej

The next, the day of teej starts with great joy. Women having fast purify themselves by taking bath and get nicely dressed (usually with all red clothes), with all their ornaments making themselves graceful they start celebrating teej festival. Groups of women dancing and singing can be seen in the streets and in various lord shiva's temples. Singing and dancing is also said to be one of the way to forget all the difficulties they have in their life. They fast for whole day even without having a drop of water (Some drink juice and eat fruits exceptionally). 
The main puja of teej starts with offering various kinds of flowers, fruits and other offerings to god shiva and parbati visiting nearby temples. 

The Dansanghu Shiva temple in Jumla gets the maximum number of devotees on this day.  One of the important part of ‘teej’ is the oil lamp which should be alight all night. Women lit traditional oil lamp called ‘diyo’ in the name of their husband believing that it will give their husband a prosperous and long life. Some organize nice pujas inviting their priest in their home while other do visiting different temples.  Teej puja comes to an end next morning when women perform ‘godaan’. (Godaan refers to a cultural practice of performing a certain puja in which it is believed that hundreds of cows are being religiously gifted). With the completion of godaan, women offer tika and flower to their husband and receive blessings from them. And drink water, milk or eat fruits. The Day after teej is known as ‘ganesh chaturthi’. Lord ganesha (son of lord Shiva and Parbati) is worshipped on this day. Hundreds of devotees both male and female visit Ganesh temple all over the nation.

Third day of Teej (RishiPanchami)

The last day of teej festival is known as " Rishi Panchami". On this day, women start their puja by having bath at Religious River with red mud and datiwan (A kind of bush) leaves which is believed to be holy thing. This act of purification is done after which women are considered to be forgiven from all their sins.  Women pay homage to various deities performing a certain ritual and puja. On this day women eat pure foods made up of pure ghee. ‘Karkalo’ (a vegetable with long and big leaves) is the main food for this day.
This is how teej festival is celebrated with lots of joy and enthusiasm. Usually, Married women visit their maternal home during this festival as women residing in rural Nepal get rare opportunity to visit their parents and siblings. Despite, rigid fasting teej brings smiles on faces of women as they feel blessed fasting for long life of their men and wellness of their family. So, teej is one the important and rich festival of Nepal which is celebrated by women with great joy.

Social aspect:

Drinking Jal(water) of panchakumari feet

It is a rare opportunity for many married women in Nepali village to go to their mother’s home due to busy schedules in village farm works. The parents invite their daughters or send someone to bring their daughters to their home a day or two before the festival. There they contribute of the ritual food called dar before going on a fast on Teej. Interestingly, no daughter goes to her mother’s place during this festival unless they get an invitation from her parents or brothers. In case they do not get an invitation from their parents, they feel extremely sad - they say it is the saddest moment in their life. Thus, the clothes  that women wear for the day must provided by husband, if they don't  provide her father,mother or Brothers should provide new cothes to their daughter.

The timing of the festival is practical in a rural society like ours as it falls immediately after the farm work is over. This festival takes place after the farmers finish weeding their paddy fields.

 

People watching Teej program at Tudikhel.