About Hariyali Teej
Hariyali Teej is the monsoon festival of Shiva and Parvati, kept on the third day of the bright half of Sawan, mostly by women in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday, 4 August 2027. Women wear green, put on mehndi, ride swings and sing Teej songs, and married daughters receive a sindhara of ghewar, bangles and clothes from their parents.
Hariyali means green, and the name fits. The festival comes in Sawan, when the rains have filled the fields and the trees are in full leaf. Women dress in green saris, lehariya and suits, wear green glass bangles, and hang swings from the branches of neem and peepal trees. It is also called Chhoti Teej, Shravani Teej and Sindhara Teej.
The tradition ties the day to Parvati. As the story is told, she kept up her penance for Shiva through 108 births before he accepted her as his wife, and Hariyali Teej marks that reunion. In Rajasthan, Parvati worshipped on this day is called Teej Mata. Married women pray to her for a long and happy marriage, and unmarried girls for a good husband. Some keep a fast, but the strict waterless fast belongs more to Hartalika Teej a month later, and many families keep Hariyali Teej as a day of dressing up, singing and visiting rather than going hungry.
Three Teejs, three different days
People often mix up the three Teej festivals of the monsoon. They fall on the third lunar day, tritiya, of three different fortnights, and each has its own mood.
| Festival | When | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| Hariyali Teej | Sawan Shukla Tritiya, about two days before Nag Panchami | Swings, green clothes, mehndi, sindhara gifts; also called Chhoti Teej |
| Kajari Teej | About 15 days later, on the third day of the dark fortnight | Called Badi or Boorhi Teej; kajari songs in UP and Bihar, a fast broken with sattu, the Kajali Teej fair in Bundi |
| Hartalika Teej | Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya, usually the day before Ganesh Chaturthi | A waterless fast and night vigil before clay or sand idols of Shiva and Parvati |
So if someone in Bihar or Maharashtra tells you Teej is a day of nirjala fasting, they likely mean Hartalika Teej. Someone in Jaipur or Rohtak talking about swings and ghewar means Hariyali Teej.
How the date is set
Hariyali Teej is the tritiya of Shukla Paksha, the waxing fortnight, in Shravana. Calendars pick the day on which the tritiya is current at sunrise, so it lands in late July or August. In some years the tithi begins after one sunrise and ends before the next, so it never touches a sunrise at all. Panchangs then disagree by a day, and families follow their own calendar or the local temple.
Because the North Indian calendar counts months from full moon to full moon, Hariyali Teej sits in the same Sawan as Sawan Somvar, the Monday fasts for Shiva. The fortnight ends with Shravana Purnima and Raksha Bandhan, so Teej and Rakhi fall within the same twelve days.
Sindhara, swings and ghewar
The day before Teej is called Sinjara or Sindhara. Married women put on mehndi that evening, and a gift arrives from their parents: the sindhara. It usually holds ghewar, the honeycomb-shaped Rajasthani sweet soaked in sugar syrup, along with bangles, mehndi cones, bindis, a new sari or suit, and sweets for the in-laws. One scholar traces the word to shringar, a woman's adornment. In Haryana the mother's gift is often called a baya, and girls are let off housework for the day.
- Day before · SinjaraMehndi and the sindhara
Married women apply mehndi in the evening; the box of ghewar, bangles and clothes arrives from their mother's home
- MorningPuja to Parvati
A bath, new green clothes, and a puja before an image or clay figure of Parvati, often with Shiva
- AfternoonSwings and songs
Women and girls take turns on the jhoola in pairs and sing Teej and Sawan songs
- EveningFairs and processions
Teej fairs in towns, the Teej Mata procession in Jaipur, folk dance in Haryana villages
Sweet shops in Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi stack ghewar from the start of Sawan, with feeni close behind. The plain version comes with ghee and syrup; the richer ones carry a layer of rabri or malai on top.
Jaipur, Haryana and Punjab
Jaipur holds the best-known public celebration. The Teej Mata idol leaves the zenana of the City Palace in a palanquin and passes out through Tripolia Gate, with decorated camels, horses and bullock carts, bands, and Kachhi Ghodi, Kalbeliya and Gair dancers. The route runs through Tripolia Bazaar, Chhoti Chaupar and Gangauri Bazaar to Chaugan Stadium, and the procession goes out on two evenings. Jaipur's other great women's procession is Gangaur in spring. People tell the two apart because the Teej idol rides under a canopy and the Gangaur idol does not.
In Haryana, Teej is the state's own monsoon festival, marked with government functions and village swings. Chandigarh's administration has held Teej celebrations at the Rock Garden with school performances.
In Punjab the festival is Teeyan and it runs longer, from the tritiya to the full moon of Sawan, about 13 days. Married women go back to their parents' village. Girls gather on open ground to swing on the peengh and dance giddha to boliyan, the short sung verses that tease in-laws and husbands. Brothers bring a sandhara of a suit, bangles and sweets. Teeyan is kept by Punjabi women of every faith, and colleges and diaspora groups now hold Teeyan evenings.
Happy Hariyali Teej. That green lehariya is still the best thing in the cupboard. Let's tie the swing on the terrace this evening, and the first piece of ghewar is yours.
Maa, the sindhara reached this morning. Same ghewar, same green bangles you sent the first year. Happy Teej. I wish I was on our old neem swing with you today.
Happy Teej, beta. We've sent ghewar and a lehariya with your Mama. Put on your mehndi tonight and send us a photo when the colour comes up.
Happy Hariyali Teej. May your mehndi come out dark, your swing go higher than mine, and may there be enough ghewar left for me.
Wishing you a happy Hariyali Teej. Hope the rain holds off long enough for the swings this evening. Enjoy the day with your family.
Hariyali Teej ki hardik shubhkamnayein. Sawan ke jhoole, mehndi ka rang aur Maa Parvati ka aashirwad aapke ghar mein bana rahe. (Warm wishes for Hariyali Teej. May the swings of Sawan, the colour of mehndi and Mother Parvati's blessing stay in your home.)
Teeyan diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan. Peengh uchi chadhe te giddhe di ronak bani rahe. (Many congratulations on Teeyan. May your swing fly high and the giddha never lose its cheer.)
Wishing well
Do
- Mention something real: the sindhara, the mehndi, the swing, a first Teej after marriage.
- For a newly married woman, a first Teej at her mother's home is a big day; ask about it.
- Wish Punjabi friends on Teeyan, and know it lasts beyond the one day.
Avoid
- Don't assume every woman is fasting. Many aren't; ask before you skip lunch plans.
- Don't wish a widowed friend a husband's long life. Wish her for the season, the swings and the women around her.
- Don't call this the Teej with the waterless fast; that is Hartalika Teej.
How to wish someone on Hariyali Teej
A good Hariyali Teej wish notices the day itself: the green clothes, the mehndi, the swing on the neem tree, the ghewar in the sindhara box, and for many women a visit to their mother's home. For a married daughter far away, mention what her parents sent. For someone fasting, keep it short and kind. "Hariyali Teej ki shubhkamnayein" works in Hindi; in Punjab, wish someone on Teeyan. With widowed friends, wish them for the season and the women around them, not for a husband.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + Punjabi.
When is Hariyali Teej in each year?
Hariyali Teej is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 11 days earlier than in 2026.
- 2026
- 2027may vary by location
- 2028
Frequently asked questions
When is Hariyali Teej in 2027?
Hariyali Teej 2027 falls on Wednesday, 4 August 2027. The exact date can vary by location and local calendar, so confirm with your community.
What is the difference between Hariyali Teej and Hartalika Teej?
Hariyali Teej falls on the third day of the bright half of Sawan and centres on swings, green clothes, mehndi and sindhara gifts. Hartalika Teej comes a month later, on the third day of the bright half of Bhadrapada, usually the day before Ganesh Chaturthi, and is marked by a strict waterless fast and a night vigil before clay or sand idols of Shiva and Parvati.
What is sindhara on Hariyali Teej?
Sindhara is the gift a married woman's parents send her for Teej, usually ghewar, bangles, mehndi, bindis and new clothes, often with sweets for her in-laws. It arrives the day before Teej, which is why the festival is also called Sindhara Teej.
Why do women wear green on Hariyali Teej?
Hariyali means greenery, and the festival falls in Sawan when the monsoon has turned fields and trees green. Women wear green saris, lehariya and green glass bangles to match the season.
Do women fast on Hariyali Teej?
Some do and some don't. Many married women keep a fast for a long and happy marriage, and some girls fast for a good husband, but the strict waterless fast is more closely tied to Hartalika Teej, and in many homes Hariyali Teej is mainly a day of puja, swings and songs.
What is Teeyan in Punjab?
Teeyan is the Punjabi form of Teej, kept by women of all faiths from the third day of the bright half of Sawan to the full moon, about 13 days. Women return to their parents' villages, swing on the peengh and dance giddha to boliyan, and brothers bring gifts called sandhara.
What sweet is eaten on Hariyali Teej?
Ghewar is the sweet most linked to Teej. It is a round, honeycomb-textured disc of fried batter soaked in sugar syrup, sold plain or topped with rabri or malai, and it goes into almost every sindhara box in Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
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