KATHMANDU: Hindu women across Nepal are celebrating Haritalika Teej, one of the most significant festivals in the Hindu calendar, with devotion, fasting, and festive rituals.

Women mark the occasion by observing strict fasts—many without even water—while praying for prosperity, marital happiness, and the well-being of their families.

Married women dedicate the day to the long life of their husbands, whereas unmarried women seek blessings to find suitable life partners.

Teej falls on the third day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra. According to the Skanda Purana, the festival derives its name from a legend in the Satya Yuga, when Goddess Parvati’s friends hid her in a forest to stop her marriage with Lord Vishnu, as she wished to marry Lord Shiva.

The festivities begin a day earlier with a special feast known as Dar, enjoyed at parental homes. On Teej itself, women dressed in red saris and adorned with traditional ornaments such as pote, tilahari, bangles, and sindur gather in temples—particularly Pashupatinath in Kathmandu—to worship Lord Shiva.

Early morning rituals include ritual baths, followed by day-long prayers and devotional singing and dancing. In the evening, devotees light oil lamps and many remain awake all night in reverence to Shiva and Parvati.

The festival concludes with ritual bathing using 108 stems of Datiwan (sacred plant), followed by the worship of the Saptarishis (seven sages) and the offering of alms, which formally ends the fast.

Beyond its religious significance, Teej stands as a vibrant celebration of womanhood, cultural heritage, and tradition in Nepal, bringing together generations of women in prayer, festivity, and solidarity.