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Tinian Nepali group celebrates Teej Festival
The Nepal Tinian Society Inc. recently organized the Teej Festival for all its women members at the main pavilion of Kammer Beach on Sept. 15, 2015.
Teej is the fasting festival of women in Nepal. Married women observe the Teej fast to honor Lord Shiva and to pray for a long and healthy life for their husbands. Unmarried girls also observe fasting on this day to pray for a good husband. Teej is an annual festival of Nepali women.
The Nepal Tinian Society Inc. recently organized the Teej Festival for all its women members at the main pavilion of Kammer Beach on Sept. 15, 2015. (Contributed Photo)
During Dar Khane Din, the womenfolk, dressed in their finest clothing, gather in one place and perform traditional dances and sing devotional songs. A special food called “dar” is eaten. Celebrations continue until midnight after which the 24-hourlong fast begins.
The second or the fasting day of the Teej Festival is dedicated to pujas and prayers. The holy Pashupatinath Temple is thronged by women in red saris to offer prayers to Lord Shiva.
On the third day of the Teej Festival, Rishi Panchami, the seven sages of the Hindu pantheon are worshiped by women in a belief that it will cleanse all sins of the previous year. Womenfolk take a holy bath with red mud found on the roots of the sacred Datiwan bush, along with its leaves. After three hours of rigorous cleansing, they come out purified and absolved from all sins. After this they sit in a semicircle while a priest sitting in the middle chants devotional prayers.
