Hariyali Teej (15 August): Puja Vidhi, Katha and Significance
Saturday, 15 August 2026 is Hariyali Teej, the joyous Sawan festival of swings and green bangles marking Shiva-Parvati's union — puja vidhi, katha and significance.
Saturday, 15 August 2026 is Hariyali Teej — the first and most joyous of the three great Teej festivals of the monsoon, falling on Tritiya (the third day) of Shravan's Shukla Paksha. "Hariyali" means greenery, and the festival takes its name from the lush, rain-fed landscape it arrives in — fields turned emerald, trees in full leaf, and swings hung from every sturdy branch. At its heart, Hariyali Teej celebrates the reunion of Shiva and Parvati, and it is kept with deep devotion by women across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, making it one of the most widely observed festivals of the Sawan season.
Why this day matters
Hariyali Teej marks the day Goddess Parvati's long penance was finally rewarded with union with Lord Shiva — making it, in essence, a festival of devotion, patience and marital love. It arrives at the midpoint of Shravan, a month already dedicated to Shiva, and adds to it a distinctly feminine, celebratory character: green is worn as a mark of fertility and new life brought by the monsoon, mehendi is applied the night before, and women gather for an evening of swinging on jhulas and singing kajari and teej folk songs. Married women observe the day praying for their husband's long life and a joyful marriage, while unmarried girls fast hoping for a husband as devoted and steadfast as Shiva.
Puja vidhi — items and steps
Hariyali Teej is celebrated with more festivity than most Sawan vrats, spread across the evening before and the day itself.
- The night before, women apply mehendi (henna) on their hands and feet, often gathering with friends and family for the occasion — this is one of the most anticipated parts of the festival.
- On Teej morning, bathe and dress in green — a green saree, lehenga or suit is traditional — along with solah shringar: sindoor, bangles, bindi, and jewellery.
- Set up a small mandap or altar with images or clay idols of Shiva, Parvati, and often Ganesha alongside them.
- Offer bel patra, water and white flowers to Shiva, and red flowers, chunri, sindoor and bangles to Parvati.
- Recite the Teej vrat katha and perform the Shiva-Parvati aarti; many women keep the fast without water (nirjala) through the day, though the strictness varies by family and region.
- In the evening, women step out to swing on decorated jhulas hung from trees, sing traditional kajari and teej geet, and exchange sweets and gifts with friends — the "sinjara" custom, where a mother or mother-in-law sends gifts of clothes, mehendi and sweets to a married daughter, is widely followed in the days before.
The katha, in brief
The story goes back to Sati, Shiva's first consort, who gave up her life after her father Daksha insulted Shiva at a yagna. She was reborn as Parvati, daughter of the mountain king Himavan, carrying the same devotion to Shiva from a previous life. But Shiva, deep in meditation and mourning, was unmoved for a long time. Undeterred, Parvati left the comforts of her palace and undertook severe penance in the forest — fasting on leaves, then on nothing at all, meditating through the harshest seasons across many lifetimes, traditionally counted as 107 births, before her devotion in the 108th finally moved Shiva to accept her as his wife. Hariyali Teej commemorates that day of acceptance and union, which is why it is considered so auspicious for women praying for marital happiness, and why the fast is believed to carry the same power as Parvati's own unwavering tapasya.
Who observes Hariyali Teej
Hariyali Teej is observed overwhelmingly by women — married women fasting for their husband's wellbeing and long life, and unmarried women fasting in hope of a husband who is as loving and steadfast as Shiva. It is especially prominent in the eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar belt, where the kajari folk-song tradition around Teej is centuries old, as well as in Rajasthan, where elaborate Teej processions and fairs are held, and in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. Newly married women traditionally travel to their maternal home for the festival, where the day is spent with sisters, cousins and friends amid mehendi, swings and singing — making Hariyali Teej as much a celebration of women's bonds as it is a religious vrat.