#43 Teej is festival celebrated in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.This falls in the month of Sawan which is a month of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

During teej married women wear beautiful and heavy sarees or ghagras preferably in green colour (as it is a month of rain and greenery) and lots of lac and glass bangles.That is why it is also called as Hariyali Teej. Women apply mehendi on their palms. They sing, dance and swing on swings that are fastened to big tree branches. Teej is a festival where married girls get gifts from her parents and in-laws in form of clothes, mehndi, bangles and sweets which is called ”Sinjara”. The most important sweet which is made and distributed on this festival is ”Ghewar”.The experience is a combination of fasting and lavish sumptuous feasting.

For the festival, I am wearing parrot green and orange/red Mothra saree in pure georgette with Gote ka Kaam and lots of bangles keeping in spirit with the festival. Mothra or Mothda as some call it, is tie-dye in which the wave pattern (lehriya) is dyed twice, taking diagonally opposite sides each time. The opposite ends of the length of the cloth are pulled and rolled together. Mothra showcases a check effect with opposite diagonals.

This saree is light in weight and has many happy memories attached to it. It has stories to tell from the close marriages it has attended to the festivals it has celebrated.The dance it has done, the feast it has witnessed.There is a lot woven in the threads of these six yards of pure bliss.

Happy Teej to all! 🙂