Sawan month has stirred the imagination of poets since time immemorial. The very mention of Hariyali Teej bring to mind the images of bangles, swings, songs, colourful sarees and off course Ghewar the traditional sweet for “Sawan Maas”.
Hariyali Teej or Shravani Teej is celebrated in Shravan month on the third day of Shukla paksha. In some places it is called Madhusrava tritiya and Choti Teej. In Bundelkhand, Jhansi, Mahoba, Orcha etcit is called Hariyali Teej. It is celebrated as Kajli Teej in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Banaras, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Sultanpur. This year, this festival will be celebrated on Sunday, 22 July, 2012.
The month of Sawan is also considered very auspicious and the young unmarried girls keep fast on all Mondays of the month praying to get a groom of their liking. The myth has it that Parvati prayed in this month to get Lord Shiva as her groom. Married women keep this fast for the long life of their husbands. The whole month there is an atmosphere of gaity and festivity. In cities one can find so many “teej mela” where you can get choicest of mehendi done, buy bangles, eat ghewar and enjoy the traditional song and dances.
In Delhi some of my favourite places for the Teej Mela are:
DLF Promenade at Nelson Mandela Marg, this place comes alive with swings colourful decorations. There is a Teej Bazaar which is the prime attraction, here one can find the latest in the accessories and on top it all there are mouth watering delicacies and if you are lucky you can get done a free mehendi.
Select City Walk at Saket this place has its terraces lined up with the beautifully decorated stalls which are mostly selling the handmade or exclusive kind of merchandise. The beautifully embroidered footwear here are worth checking out. Mehendi, Rakhis and food are off course an essential must.
Dilli Haat at INA Market this place which is anyway a hot favourite come out more alive and exuberant during the Teej Mela. The handicrafts of the artisans being sold by them is worth checking out. The food court stalls change their menu for the occasion. The mehendi, rakhis and toys for the kids are all time favourites.
Gold Souk in Gurgaon celebrates this festival with a zing with women indulging in nail art, mehendi or tattoo or a total makeover session. There are latest fashionable dresses, ornaments, bangles and bindis. There are decorated swings, folk dances and puppet shows to add to the charm.
Besides these there are more Teej Melas which are more localised to the societies or colonies. Here the residents themselves set up stalls and put up dance and song performances. If you want to have a original flavour of Teej Mela in Delhi and do some exclusive shopping try and stay at one of the homestayswhere the owner will help you take a peek in the local life.
If you want to be notified next time, subscribe to the RSS feed or say hello via Twitter @theotherhome. You can plan your dream holiday with us, visit The Other Home.
No comments:
Post a Comment