Business World
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, September 28, 2004: They flowed like blood into Pashupatinath – hundreds of women all dressed in red saris. The narrow streets and alleys became veins that brought them to the heart of the temple. These women came from all over the Kathmandu Valley to mark the day of Teej, a Hindu festival of women. Women celebrate Teej in honor of their husbands and for the hope of a long and happy marriage. Festivities center around Siva temples and at Pashupatinath, it is celebrated with much refinement. The Teej festival starts with the gathering of women for a day of feasting, talking and sharing – ways in which women traditionally form and strengthen their bonds with one another. At midnight, they start fasting, a period which lasts for 24 hours. The pilgrimage to the temples starts early the next morning and it is truly a site to behold. Pashupatinath, the most important Hindu temple in Nepal and one of the most revered Siva sites in the subcontinent, provides the most dramatic setting. It is located at the banks of the Bagmati River and during Teej, women take part in ritual dips into the river’s holy waters to purify themselves before ascending the stairs to the temple and presenting themselves before Shiva.
Non-Hindus are not permitted to enter the temple so one must imagine the mass of women inside praying, calling on to Siva. The energy of their devotion reverberates throughout the area along with the sounds of drums beating, bells ringing and a multitude of voices chanting and singing. From across the riverbank, one can catch glimpses of them dancing and moving their bodies fervently in prayer. The following day, the women offer their husbands small portions of food which had been offered to the Gods the day before. This ancient practice gives evidence to the complete devotion and godlike adoration expected of Hindu women for their partners. Up to this day, this practice is still much observed, not just during occasions such as Teej, but as part of everyday life for most Hindu women.
Another ritual bathing ceremony takes place on this day along the rivers, especially along areas of confluence. Women gather along the banks, huddled in ceremonial circles presided over by a Hindu priest or brahmin. They surround themselves with flowers, food and other objects for their puja (ritual offering) and together, as a final act, they create a kind of shrine dedicated to the Gods and their husbands. The festival ends on this day, with the small memorials they have made floating gently along the river, carrying with them collective wishes and prayers of love. In other cultures where women demand to be regarded as equal to men and partnerships and unions are differently defined, the Teej may be seen in a not very positive light. But for the Hindus, it is a special time when women are most free to express their devotion as well as to celebrate womanhood and themselves in a beautiful, symbolic and spiritual way.