Tij Festival
The Tij Festival (Teej) is primarily the celebration of women (mainly belonging to the various tribes of Nepalese society, specially the Bahun Chettri and others) in Nepal and some parts of India which takes place on the third day after the new moon of the month of Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September)[1]
A "festival of sisterhood," [2] Teej has traditional and modern values as a festival of celebrating good times with siblings. Although it looks like it is celebration of sisterhood because when married women get rare chance to meet with sisters and friends from their birthplace, there is a strong role of brothers to celebrate the festival as they are to call their sisters in this auspicious occasion and cook special food for theirs sisters, and all the girls enjoy time doing make up to look the best and dance to forget the pain they get from their inlaws, which is expressed in the form of folk songs with particular rhythm.
Traditional Values:
According to Hindu mythology, Shree Swosthani Bratakatha, Godess Parvati ran away from her home with her friends to jungle as she was afraid that her father Himalaya promised to lord Bishnu to give his daughter Parvati in marriage. She then went to jungle and started praying Lord Shiva to fulfill her wish to get married to him. He said "tathastu" meaning he will fulfill her wish. That was the day of teej when Parvati got her husband as her undying wish. So this day is celebrated to get the husband of their dream by unmarried women and for long, healthy and prosperous life of husband by married women.
There is an additional festival celebrated by the women of Nepal, in conjunction with the Tij - the Rishi Panchami. The Rishi Panchami revolves around the purity of women. It is a time when women cleanse themselves of the possible "sin of touching a man during menstruation." [3] During this festival, which occurs two days after the Tij, the women participate in ritual bathes and puja (worship). One of the defining characteristics of the Tij Festival is the songs the women sing. Traditionally, these songs emphasized the subservient role of women in Nepalese society in addition to reinforcing traditional Hindu ideology of gender relations. Within the past few decades, as Nepal and the surrounding area experiences rapid development and modernization, the Tij songs have become more of a critical commentary on gender relations from women's perspectives. These songs "extend the women's thoughts and experiences of hardships from a intimate conversation to a public setting." [4] The Tij songs allow women to effect change in their respective societies by giving them a public voice.
Sources
Skinner, D. Adhikari, G.B., and Dorothy Holland. "The Songs of the Tij: A genre of Critical Commentary for Women in Nepal. Asian Folklore Studies. 53n2 (October 1994). Basnyat, Aarti. "Not a Tease Anymore." Nepali Times Vol. 263, September 2005 Levy, Robert I. Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1990 1990. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft6k4007rd/ Skinner, Debra, Alfred Pach III, and Dorothy Holland. Selves in Time and Place. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC, 1998
References
- ↑ Adhikari, G.B, Debra Skinner, and Dorothy Holland. "The Songs of the Tij: A genre of Critical Commentary for Women in Nepal. Asian Folklore Studies. 53n2 (October 1994).
- ↑ Basnyat, Aarti. "Not a Tease Anymore." Nepali Times. Vol. 263, September 2005.
- ↑ Levy, Robert I. Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1990 1990. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft6k4007rd/
- ↑ Skinner, Debra, Alfred Pach III, and Dorothy Holland. Selves in Time and Place. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC, 1998