When is Hariyali Teej in 2023? Know how Hindu women celebrate the festival and how it is different from Hartalika Teej

Hariyali Teej is an important Hindu festival which falls on the third day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Sawan and is celebrated to commemorate the union of Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati. As per legend, it is the day when Shiva accepted Parvati as his consort after the goddess spent 107 births in the penance of Shiva. It was in her 108th birth that Devi Parvati could finally win him over and also came to be known as ‘Teej Maata’. The festival is celebrated across the country, especially in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, although with slightly different traditions. (Also read: Sawan 2023 festivals full calendar: Hariyali Teej, Raksha Bandhan to Janmashtami; dates of 12 major fasts and festivals)

What are the three kinds of Teej that Hindu women celebrate?

There are total of three main Teej festivals associated with the months of Sawan and Bhadrapada namely Hariyali Teej (August 19), Hartalika Teej (September 18) and Kajri Teej (September 2). Each of these Teej festivals have great significance for married women who observe a day-long nirjala fast, adorn their hands with beautiful mehndi designs, wear green or red coloured traditional outfits, and pray for the long lives of their husbands. Even unmarried girls sometimes observe the fast to get a suitable match.

When is Hariyali Teej in 2023?

Hariyali Teej will be celebrated on August 19, Saturday, two days before Naag Panchami.

How’s Hariyali Teej different from Hartalika Teej?

Hariyali Teej is often confused with Hartalika Teej. While rituals are similar the former is celebrated a month before the latter. While Hariyali Teej is celebrated to commemorate Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati’s union, Hartalika Teej is observed to mark the day when Parvati’s female friends abducted (harat means to abduct) her and brought her into deep forests as her father was hell-bent on getting her married to Lord Vishnu. Maa Parvati continued her penance there and eventually got married to Lord Shiva.

How is Hariyali Teej celebrated?

Hariyali Teej is one of the biggest festivals for Hindu women in Rajasthan, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. It is also known as Chhoti Teej or Shravan Teej. On this day, married women visit their parents’ house and receive gifts like clothes, jewellery, make-up among others from their mothers and mothers-in-law. Women take a bath on the day of the Teej and dress up in the best of their traditional wear, decorate their hands with henna, wear bangles and other jewellery and worship Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati for a blissful married life. They observe a day-long fast without food or water and break the fast next day before sunrise with soaked black gram and cucumber. After this, a lavish meal is prepared which is enjoyed by the entire family.