Hariyali Teej 2011

Hariyali Teej — Sawan Teej, Shravan Teej — falls on the third day of Shravana's bright fortnight, in the heart of the monsoon season. Hariyali means greenery: the festival celebrates the lush, rain-drenched earth and the reunion of Parvati with Lord Shiva after 108 births of tapas (penance) in which she steadfastly sought him as her husband.

The festival is predominantly observed in Rajasthan, UP, Haryana, Punjab, and Bihar. Women dress in green (the colour of the monsoon) and don green bangles, glass jewellery, and elaborate mehndi (henna). Swings are hung from trees in gardens and courtyards — a tradition going back to classical Sanskrit poetry — and women swing while singing Teej songs (geet) that describe Radha waiting for Krishna in the rain.

Married women fast and pray for the long life and prosperity of their husbands, while unmarried girls pray to find a husband as devoted as Shiva. In Jaipur, a grand Teej procession with the idol of Teej Mata (Parvati) travels through the streets of the old city, accompanied by elephants, camels, folk musicians, and thousands of women in green and yellow. The procession has been a Rajasthan state tradition for centuries.