Hartalika Teej
Also known as: Teej (Shravan/Bhadrapada)
Monsoon swings, green bangles, mehndi — and Parvati’s own fast for love.
Why is Hartalika Teej celebrated?
Teej celebrates the monsoon’s green abundance and Parvati’s devotion — the fast that won her Shiva. Married women fast (often nirjala) for their husbands’ long lives; unmarried women for a good match. But Teej is equally a women’s festival of joy: swings on trees, songs, mehndi and the freedom of a day that belongs to them.
The story behind Hartalika Teej
Parvati, determined to marry Shiva, performed austerities through 108 births. When her father arranged her marriage to Vishnu instead, her friend (aalika) abducted (harat) her to a forest — hence Hartalika — where her sand shivalinga and unbroken fast finally won Shiva’s hand. The fast re-enacts that resolve.
How Hartalika Teej is celebrated
Women rise before dawn for the last meal, keep a strict fast, dress in green with new bangles and mehndi, make clay or sand images of Shiva-Parvati, hear the Teej katha, swing on flower-decked jhulas and sing folk songs; the fast breaks next morning.
Hartalika Teej across India
Jaipur’s royal Teej procession parades the goddess through the old city; Haryali Teej (Shravan) and Kajari Teej add two more Teej days in the season; Nepal’s Teej at Pashupatinath is a sea of red.
Hartalika Teej in housing societies
Societies set up the season’s best photo-op: a flower-decked swing under the biggest tree, a mehndi corner, green-themed evening and a sinjara sweets exchange. The budget is bangles-and-flowers small; the sisterhood is the point.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Hartalika" mean?
From harat (abduction) + aalika (female friend) — Parvati’s friend spirited her away so she could keep her austerity and marry Shiva, not the groom chosen for her.
Why are swings central to Teej?
Monsoon tradition — jhulas on trees celebrate the season’s ease and joy; swinging while singing Teej songs is the festival’s signature image.
How strict is the Teej fast?
Hartalika Teej is traditionally nirjala — without water — from the pre-dawn sargini until the next morning’s puja; many now keep it with fruit as health permits.