
Festival
of Teej is a devotional and pious festival of women in Gujarat. It falls
on the moonlit fortnight of
sawan month (July/August). People
splurge in the colorful festival of Teej and perform the rituals
earnestly. Both married and unmarried women of Gujarat desperately wait
for the season to begin the celebrations of the holy festival.
Teej Celebrations in Gujarat
Teej is celebrated with same rituals and customs in Gujarat as
performed in many other parts of the country. Since the state lies
closer to Rajasthan so it has adopted many festivals from the colorful
culture of the state. Teej is one such festival which is now celebrated
as a major festival in Gujarat. Teej Festival preparations begin well in
advance. The most attractive part of Teej celebration are Teej fairs.
These fairs and markets are stocked with women ornaments, embellishments
and other household stuff. Most of the Gujaratis are busy shopping for
Teej celebrations when the festival is near. In most towns and villages,
processions are taken out with beautifully adorned elephants and horses
to celebrate the festival. At some places, special Gujarati dance
performances are also organized. Women perform garba and dandia dance in
traditional lehanga-choli.
Teej for Womenfolk
Teej is a woman centric festival. To celebrate the auspicious occasion,
married women return to their parents house. On Teej, women observe
fasts for the longevity and well-being of their husband. Long queues of
devotees can be seen outside various Shiva temples to worship Lord Shiva
and Goddess Parvati - symbols of an ideal marriage.
Beautifully decorated swings are hung from trees or in the courtyard of
the house which recreate memories of childhood. A special sweet dish
called
seviyan is prepared on Teej in various parts of Gujarat.
Women dressed up in colorful sarees, lehangas and suits sing traditional
folk songs. Gujarati women dress themselves in different colors
depicting the symbol of married life. One can see them in the auspicious
green, yellow and red colored duppattas with zari and gota work on it.
Most of them wear red colored sarees with a front pallu or vibrant
lehanga-choli. Some women in Gujarat specially practice steps from garba
or dandia and perform them in celebrations after Teej puja ceremony.
Just as in other states, married and engaged women in Gujarat also
receive sweets and clothes from their parents and parents in-law. This
is considered as a marital blessing for long and happy life of their
husband.