teej
♻️ Why we celebrate Teej ♻️
The Hariyali Teej festival is celebrated to remember the reunion of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the day when Lord Shiva accepted Goddess Parvati as his wife. Goddess Parvati fasted and was austere for many years and was accepted by Lord Shiva as his wife in her 108 birth. Hence, Teej is celebrated to honor the devotion of Parvati, who is also known as Teej Mata. Teej also welcomes the monsoon and observed in the month of Shravan.
Celebration of Teej
While ritual fasting is central to Teej, the festival is marked by colorful celebrations, especially by the womenfolk, who enjoy swing rides, song and dance. Swings are often hung from trees or placed in the courtyard of homes and decked with flowers. Young girls and married women apply mehendi or henna tattoos on this auspicious occasion. Women wear beautiful sarees and adorn themselves with jewellary, and visit temples to offer their special prayers to goddess Parvati. A special sweet called ‘ghewar’ is prepared and distributed as Prasad or divine offering.
Why we eat Ghevar and Firni on Teej?
It’s been centuries since our grandmothers and their grandmothers have been telling us a famous proverb “Aayi Teej, Bakher Gayi Beej”, which translates to “The festival of Teej sows the seeds of wheat as well as the festivals.”
Hariyali Teej or Teej is a famous festival in the North India especially for the Haryana and Punjab which are considered as the wheat basket of India. There, the farmers work very hard and then get the result of their blood and sweat when they see the pearls of the grain in the field.
The festival of Teej comes in the monsoon season, in the month of July-August when the sky is overcast with clouds and there is torrents of rains. It falls on the third day of bright fortnight of the month of Shravan i.e. Advancing Monsoon.
The people exchange the highly sweet dishes made of flour like Ghevar and Faini (Firni) as gifts and eat them a lot in the season. This sharing is considered to be auspicious and blesses the family with the blessings of health and happiness.
Scientific Paradigm
As per ayurveda, the months of Shravan and Bhadrapada i.e. July-August-September are predominated with Vata and Pitta respectively. This causes dryness and acidity in the whole body, resulting in restlessness and mood swings.
The highly sweet and ghee laden Ghevar and Firni provide relief from the acidic and moist environment. They have Vata and Pitta calming properties due to ghee and sweet juice. Thus, they have a calming effect on mind as well as the body..
The Fortunate Day of Akshaya Tritiya
The fortunate day when Sun, Moon and Jupiter comes under ‘Mrigshira Nakshatra’ and considered the best for beginning new phases of life; is known as Akshaya Tritiya (अक्षय तृतीया). This is marked as an important day in the Hindu and Jain calendar, for they believe that any venture initiated on this day gives a sure shot success and fortune; since ‘Akshaya’ refers to ‘Eternal’, one which never diminishes or dies. The third Waxing Moon with an exalted Sun, in the month of Vaishakh is widely celebrated as Akshaya Tritiya (Teej).
This year Akshaya Tritiya is falling on 21st April, 2015.
Significance of Akshaya Tritiya:
It is believed that when Sudama visited Lord Krishna for financial help with just a handful of rice, but later felt humiliated to offer them to the rich supreme king Krishna. Lord Krishna comprehended the situation of his dear friend and started eating that handful of rice. Sudama was shocked to see the laurels of supreme Lord when he came back, as now his hut had been replaced by a palace. At once he understood his grace and was gratified for the immense blessings. This day of Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated for their bond of friendship and materialistic gains.
This day is marked as the birth date of Lord Parashurama, one of the ten avatars or incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
It is also referred as an important day because our valuable epic ‘Mahabharata’ was begin writing on this day by Ved Vyasa and Ganesh Ji.
The day is also known for the beginning of ‘Satya Yug’- the golden age of truth, which is the first yug of the four yugas.
During the period of Mahabharata when Pandavas were in the forest for exile, on this day Lord Krishna provided them ‘Akshaya Patra’. This bowl never went empty and gave unlimited food on demand.
Scientific Significance:
This day is identified as one of the special days of the year when the planetary positions are in such a way that our mother Earth is super energised and grants all what is asked or said. The third phase of Moon is capable of attracting positive energies along with materialistic gains. So be cautious to what you say or demand on this day, as the Universe has abundant we just need to learn the art of accepting it.
Thus this day is a special offer where devotees invest on the basis of their faith and adore Goddess Lakshmi, Kubera and Lord Ganesha. Sacred animals like Gajas (elephants), ashwas (horses) and cows are also honoured on this day for their sacred powers.
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