Teej being celebrated today; President and vice president extend Teej greetings

Kathmandu / Sept 4: Haritalika Teej, the biggest festival of Hindu women is being celebrated today with fanfare. Women are visiting temple of lord Shiva across the country and also seen singing and dancing to celebrate the day.

Teej falls on the third day of Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the month of Bhadra. Women celebrate the festival by fasting, singing, dancing and offering prayers to Lord Shiva. The festival also marks the union of Shiva and Parbati.

The festival is a three-day-long celebration, which combines gatherings‚ singing‚ dancing, eating dar and rigid fasting. The first day of Teej is called dar khane din. On this day, women eat delicious and heavy food items before midnight.

The second day is the fasting day or the main day of Teej. Women spend the day without a morsel of food and some even a drop of water. The third day of the festival is Rishi Panchami. Women pay homage to seven saints or sages and offer prayers to various deities and bathe with red mud found on the roots of the sacred datiwan twig, along with its leaves. This act of purification is the final ritual of Teej.

In Kathmandu, women devotees started thronging the Pashupatinath temple from as early as 3 am this morning for celebration of Haritalika Teej festival.

The women queued up since early in the morning in teeming rain for paying homage to Lord Shiva, according to Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT).

The long lines of revellers have reached Umakunda area in the north, Jaya Bageshwori in the west and Tilganga in the South, PADT Member Secretary, Dr Govinda Tondon said.

The Pashupatinath temple’s all four gates were opened for the devotees since 3:30 am. The PADT has arranged for the visit of around 900,000 devotees on the occasion of Teej.

Meanwhile, men are banned from paying homage at the Pashupatinath temple for today. The Trust has mobilized policemen and volunteers to maintain order. The women devotees have been paying homage to all the shrines of Lord Shiva from early in the morning today.

Meanwhile, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has extended greetings on the occasion of Haritalika Teej to ‘all Nepali sisters living at home and abroad’.

In her message, President Bhandari said, “I wish all Nepali sisters living in the country and abroad happiness, peace, prosperity, and family harmony on this auspicious occasion which has remained as a symbol of cultural tolerance and social unity in Nepal since time immemorial.”

She also urged Nepali women to maintain religious and cultural identity of Teej. On the occasion, Hindu women observe rigid fast all day and worship Lord Shiva wishing for the longevity of their husbands, while unmarried women pray to the deity for an ideal groom. Women clad in red saris, bangles, henna and ornaments throng Shiva temples, especially Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, to offer prayers.

Similarly, Vice-President Nana Bahadur Pun has extended best wishes to all Nepali sisters on the occasion of the Haritalika Teej today. He wished them peace, prosperity, good health and happiness on this occasion.

In the message of best wishes given today, Vice-President Pun said there was significant role of Nepali women in nation building. Women have played vital role during various movements in the country for bringing change, the Vice-President said, adding that a proportional inclusive system with social justice has ensured further rights for the empowerment of Nepali women.

Vice-President Pun wished the Teej brought further happiness, harmony, tolerance among the Nepalis people.

Similarly, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed best wishes to all Nepali sisters living in the country and abroad on the occasion of the Teej. He wished them peace, prosperity, good health and happiness.

Lauding the role of Nepali women in all sorts of movements for the change in the country, PM Dahal wished the Teej festival inspired all for betterment of Nepalis and the country.

On the same occasion, former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba extended greetings to all Nepali sisters and wished them peace and prosperity.

The festivals like Teej are very important cultural events to foster harmony in diversity in Nepal, added NC President Deuba.

Likewise, senior leader of the Nepali Congress Ramchandra Poudel said in the Teej greetings that the rights ensured to women by the constitution should be materialized. RSS