On Hartalika Teej, married women pray to Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati for their blessings. ‘Teej’ basically refers to monsoon festivals celebrated in various parts of the country. This year, Hartalika Teej is on August 21.
Teej refers to the third day which falls each month after the new moon or the Amavasya, and the third day after the full moon night of every month. There are various types of Teej celebrated in the country. The monsoon festival of Teej includes—Haryali Teej, Kajri Teej and Hartalika Teej respectively.
On this day, women dressed in bright new clothes pray to Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. They observe a fast (also known as nishivasar nirjala vrat) which commences during the evening of Hartalika Teej and is broken the next day after a full day’s observance which involves women not even drinking water.
The devotees pray to Mata Parvati, who prayed with utmost dedication and devotion, to get married to Lord Shiva. The goddess is worshipped under the name of Hartalika or Maa Hartalika.
Hartalika Teej is celebrated with much grandeur chiefly in the states of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
Here’s wishing all our readers a very happy Hartalika Teej!