Kajari Teej or Kajri Teej is one of the three Teej festivals celebrated in India the other two being Hariyali Teej and Hartalika Teej. All three Teej festivals fall at different times according to the arrival of the monsoon season and so the date changes every year. Kajari Teej festival is celebrated mainly in north Indian states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Kajri Teej falls on the third day after Shravan Poornima which corresponds to August- September. The day is called Krishna paksha tritiya of the fifth month of Hindu calendar. This fasting festival is observed by married women and young girls and during Kajari Teej women worship the Neem tree. Teej literally means a small insect that appears in the soil during the rainy season.
Kajari Teej History
Teej is dedicated to goddess Parvathi. It is believed that goddess Parvathi fasted for 108 years in order to reunite with lord Shiva. Her dedication and penance made lord Shiva accept her as his wife. It is a belief among people that one who worships Parvathi on this day will be blessed with a happy married life. Another belief is that Kajari refers to the blackish clouds that bring rain in the monsoon season during July-August.
How is Kajari Teej Celebrated?
Teej festival celebrates what is considered an ideal marriage between Parvati and Lord Shiva. Kajari Teej is celebrated with great enthusiasm by the women folk. On this day women wear new clothes and sing songs in the honour of Lord Krishna. Another ritual is that of worshipping the neem tree. Women gather around the holy neem tree and community puja is performed to the neem tree with specific rituals.
Swings are also hung from the trees and women take turns in swinging while other women sing and dance to the auspicious songs of Kajari Teej which depict the happiness of union with one’s life partner while some songs depict the pain of separation from the lover during the rainy season. There are numerous shades to Kajari songs which depict the social, cultural and religious heritage of India.
Kajari Teej celebrations in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, especially in Varanasi and Mirzapur portray the rich folk heritage of the states. Teej is celebrated with great verve in Rajasthan especially in Bundi.In Bundi a procession of the goddess Teej decorated in a palanquin is taken from Sagar which is accompanied by decorated elephants, camels, performers, musicians, folk dancers and artists. This is one of the most colourful and beautiful procession and many tourists visit Bundi during this time to watch the Kajari Teej celebrations.