Hariyali Teej 2023: Why This Festival Is Special For Women
Hariyali Teej will be observed on August 19 this year. To celebrate the persistence of goddess Parvati towards lord Shiva, this festival is celebrated. Goddess Parvati is believed to have taken 108 reincarnations to get Lord Shiva as her husband. The occasion is celebrated as her tenacity in achieving her wish to marry Lord Shiva. In the northern part of India, married Hindu women celebrate the Hariyali Teej to pray for a long and healthy life for their husbands.
Single women also keep this fast in order to marry a suitable man and have a happy family life. According to the Hindu Panchang, the festival falls on the Tritiya Tithi of Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapad in the auspicious month of Shravan. According to folklore and legends, Goddess Parvati declared that women who observe fasting on this day will have a happy married life.
The festival is held to celebrate the union of Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati. According to the great Hindu mythologies, the goddess Parvati had to make atonement to get Lord Shiva as her husband. Parvati went to a dense forest and began to live in penance and observed a strict fast while she worshiped the idol of Shiva. Lord Shiva was pleased with this penance and promised that he would fulfill his wish. After Goddess Parvati's father Himalaya found out about her, he agreed to marry her to Shiva. Both Parvati and Lord Shiva married happily with the proper rituals. Later, Lord Shiva declared that if any woman sincerely observes a strict fast on this auspicious day and worships him, he will give them what they desire.
Women who observe this fast need to wake up early in the morning, preferably on Brahma Muhurta, then take a shower and dress in nice green clothes. Hariyali Teej puja should be performed at the Pradosh Kaal. To do the puja, you have to make idols of Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati using clay. You must offer 16 shringar items to Goddess Parvati as a symbol of being a lucky and happily married woman. You can also offer clothes to Lord Shiva and read or listen to the Hariyali Teej Katha. After completing the katha, make sure to perform the arti of Lord Ganesh and Lord Shiva, to seek their blessings and good fortune.