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Teej: Women Festival
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
Nepalese women celebrate ‘Teej’ festival starting in the evening of Saturday, August 22, 2009, feasting on good food, dancing, singing and merry-making the whole night. Next day, they fast the whole day and spent most of the time visiting shrines to Lord Shiva across Nepal on the way singing the ‘Teej’ songs that often describe the sufferings of the women brought by the misunderstanding between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law. Then, on the fifth day called Rishis Pancami, Nepalese women revere seven Rishis. On these occasions, they dress in their bridal saris and wear the bridal jewelry.
Nepalese women do so believing that by doing so unmarried women will have the men of their choice as husbands and the married women will make the lives of their husbands long and bring happiness to their families.
Some women activists have started questioning who would fast for women whereas women fast for their husbands. Some women also have complained that their family members particularly the mothers-in-law and husbands have forced them to take up the fasting even when they are sick and pregnant.
Some women have even complained that the ‘Teej’ festival has been commercialized. Other women associations have held ‘Teej’ dinners costing Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per person. Some other associations have collected donations from the traders for holding various programs during the festival.
