Visit MS-Denmark

Changing face of Teez; will it help in women’s development?
Or is just another festival to make merry….

Nepal not only has diverse geographical feature but also possesses a variety of ethnic groups as Great King Prithvi Narayan Shah put it- “Nepal is the garden of four castes and thirty-six clans.” The Hindu hierarchy is dominant in classifying castes and sub-castes here. These caste groups live in harmony on the basis of “national integrity” and share many similar cultures, even as they have their own different ethnic traditions and practices to follow. They have several religious festivals to celebrate and various other national days to make merry.

One such festival, which is celebrated by women in all the regions, is Teez. Particularly, it is celebrated in the hill region and the plains of Terai. Though the way it is celebrated may differ according to different geographical regions, Teez holds a deep and moral significance among Hindu women. The festival is important because it is the time when Hindu women express how much devoted they are to their husbands.

Teez falls in mid summer (August/September) and women of all castes, class and culture celebrate it merrily. In the morning of Teez, women take bath and prepare themselves for fasting, while in the afternoon they sing, dance and worship Hindu deity - Lord Shiva. It is believed that when pleased Shiva, in return, will bless their spouse with long life. Women, clad in beautiful red saris and jewelry, visit Pashupati Temple, Lord Shiva’s shrine situated at the heart of the capital city to make offerings. Elated women all the way to Pashupati sing and dance together, which also shows the unity among women folks.

Celebrating Teez for children is something special because they can have delicacies on the eve of the festival and take part in merry making with their mothers and sisters. The eve of Teez holds special significance also because married women visit their parents’ home to celebrate the festival. The eve is marked by fun and good food. Family members gather and have delicacies. Particularly women are supposed to enjoy nutritious food in order that they can fast the following day. On the day of Teez, women don’t take any food and fast until the next day when they take bath again and formally end the rituals.

“Teez is the time to tell your beloved how much you care for him,” says Sagun Aryal, from Kathmandu. However, the way it is practiced should be changed according to time and different roles that women have to take up in the changed context and circumstances. Though women get national holiday on Teez, many women working in private organizations can’t enjoy the holiday. In such case, they should not go without food. Aryal added that women need to take at least food that symbolizes “purity” in Hindu culture to keep them fit. Similarly, women having health problems also must not be compelled to go without food in the name of culture.

In the bygone years grannies used to celebrate Teez going without even water till the next day of Teez. But as women started getting educated and began looking at festivals like Teez from different perspective, the practice now has altered in many ways. There are of course, elderly women, who still believe in the age old tradition and practice but the younger generation has its own way of preserving such age-old practice. “Teez should be taken as our indigenous culture. We need to preserve this tradition,” argues Namrata Gyanwali, a teacher, “but in the name of culture or festival, women should not be exploited. How can she go even without water for twenty-four hours; it’s like dehydrating one? Moreover, for many women, especially from elite group, the festival has turned out to be a time to show off how much jewelry or wealth they possess. Such bad practices create a big gap between the rich and the poor and in certain cases can even invite crimes.”

Meanwhile, younger generation has more questions to ask. Why has only a woman to fast or sacrifice for her husband’s goodwill? Why is there no such practice for a man to follow? Will Teez help women’s development in any way? “I don’t think so. Instead, it creates obstacles in the progressive path of women. If women in the 21st century, still believe that fasting makes one’s hubby’s life longer then women are going backwards,” argues Madhavi Pandey from Palpa. She does not believe that fasting for Shiva makes one’s husband’s life longer and helps the unmarried ones to find the Mr. Right. Pandey, who is a university graduate, however, further argues, “it is our own culture; we should not only respect it but also preserve it for the coming generation but we can do that by making this practice as simple as possible and not making it a medium of women’s exploitation and an occasion to show off one’s wealth.”

Rishi Panchami, a part of Teez, falls a day after it. This festival is also associated with women, and women on this day worship Sapta Rishi (seven saints). It is believed that worshiping Shapta Rishi, they ask forgiveness for any sin committed during their monthly periods throughout the year. In Hindu religion, menstruation is taken as a symbol of impurity and women are not supposed to take part in religious practices during their periods. Thus, it is believed that Rishi Panchami is the occasion to wash off one’s impurity of the whole year. The rituals seem peculiar but women practice it happily. “We know nothing or very little about the importance of such festivals but for me it gives spiritual satisfaction and helps preserve our unique cultures,” admits Pandey.