The meaning of Teej is “third”, which refers to the third day of every month after the night of amavasya or the new moon and the third day after the full moon of every lunar month. It is believed to be a a combined name for three festivals, Hariyali Teej, Kajari Teej and Hartilka Teej. Each having a legend and story that signifies its existence. 

The mythological legend starts when Sati Devi, the daughter of King Daksha, falls in love with Lord Shiva, but due to the King’s disapproval it leads to the end of her existence. Lord Shiva was believed to have taken a meditative state in response to Sati Devi’s self-immolation. The legend has it that Sati Devi incarnates herself in the form of Goddess Parvati as her 108th birth to get Lord Shiva out of his meditative state. Her unwavering love and dedication brings Lord Shiva out of meditative state and accept togetherness with Goddess Parvati. Owing to Goddess Parvati’s persevering commitment and unconditional love, Hindu women celebrate Teej as an act of love and dedication to their husbands. This is also why Goddess Parvati is also known as Teej Mata. 

Hariyali Teej is celebrated on the third day of the new moon in the month of Shravana, as per the Hindu calendar. It translates to ‘green teej’ and also finds synonymous names in Sindhara Teej, Choti Teej, Shravana Teej or Savan Teej. Hariyali Teej is celebrated to commemorate the union of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati. As Hariyali also translates to greenery, it is celebrated to cherish the abundance of greenery that the rain brings with itself. On Hariyali Teej, married women receive blessings from their mothers that are manifested in the form of clothes, jewellery and accessories that help in the sringar, or dressing up of women to make them look beautiful. 

It is commonly celebrated in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Haryana observes a state-wide holiday to celebrate this festival as they welcome the abundance that the monsoon season brings. The courtyards are adorned with decorations, women gather together to apply henna on their hands and feet. The mornings are usually for offering prayers, and evenings create an atmosphere of celebration as everyone indulges in folk music and dance. Teej is also called teeyan in Punjabi and is celebrated as per the Bikrami calendar. Women gather together and indulge in the folk dance called Gidda, and when girls are celebrated with swing sets hanging from trees, made especially for them to play on as ritual. In Rajasthan, the Teej idol is covered with a canopy, whereas the Gangour idol is kept open in the courtyards. The day before Hariyali Teej sees women gather in celebration to apply mehendi or henna to their hands and feet. 

Kajari Teej is celebrated in the Bikrami lunar month of Bhadrpada. It is also called Bhoori teej, and in states like Rajasthan, it is also regarded as Badi Teej. The women of Uttar Pradesh devote this day to Lord Shiva as they fast all day for the long life and health of their husbands or future husbands and eat only after they offer food and prayers to the moon. They also sing folk songs known as kajaris that speak for their feelings of anticipation as they wait for their brothers to come and take them home. 

Hartalika Teej finds its meaning in the Sanskrit words harit, which means “abduction”, and aalika, which refers to a  "female friend". According to the legend of Hartalika Teej, Parvati planned her own abduction by her female friends so that she could show her devotion to Lord Shiva. On the third day of the bright half of the month of Bhadrapada, Goddess Parvati is said to have made a Shiva lingum of sand silt of the Ganga to offer her prayers to Lord Shiva. This led to the holy union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati with the blessings of her father, who was otherwise going to marry her to Lord Vishnu against her wishes. The festival sees women fast through the evening of Hartalika Teej as they offer their prayers to Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. Throughout the night, they remember the holy union and listen to prayers. The fast which is also called nishivasar nirjala vrat, commences during the evening of Hartalika Teej and is broken the next day after a full day's observance. It is called a nirjala vrat as it involves women fasting without food and water. 

Other states in India also celebrate Teej in their own regional ways. Akha Teej also known as Akshaya Tritya is celebrated in the month of Vaisakh, the month which is believed to be the time period when Lord Ganesha and Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata. Kajal Teej is celebrated in the state of Telangana, where as, Jhulan Utsav, similar to Hariyali Teej is celebrated in the temples of Vrindavan of Uttar Pradesh. 

As with any Indian festival, Teej celebrations remain incomplete without a vivid mosaic of colours manifested through the traditional attire adorned by men and women celebrating. Let's dive deeper to understand the significance of the clothing choices during this festival. Women are traditionally likely to be dressed in sarees or Indian suits, while men are seen in kurtas or sherwanis throughout the subcontinent.

Women are seen gathered around in this joyful jamboree in shades of red and green. Red is a colour associated with prosperity, fertility and marital bliss in most Hindu households. It represents divine feminine energy as embodied by Goddess Parvati in Hindu mythology. It is a colour that invites auspiciousness and is loved by women as they seek blessings for their marital life and the longevity of their husbands. As they celebrate Hariyali Teej, green is also another colour adorned by women for the festivities. A colour that epitomises growth, renewal and harmony with nature. It invites blessings for new beginnings and is a perfect choice for women praying for their future husbands. 

The traditional attire adorned by women during Teej is more than just a fashion statement; it brings the lineage of cultural heritage and ancestral rituals to today’s fast-paced world. Rajasthani women are usually seen clad in locally handcrafted bandhej sarees. Meticuluosly crafted with the process of tie and dye, small knots are tied in intricate decorative patterns that are designs inspired by nature and folk stories, bandhej sarees and lehengas are an integral part of a woman’s sindhara that is gifted to her. Bandhej sarees and lehengas are not just an epitome of vibrancy in their hues and designs but are also an embodiment of traditional values and cultural celebrations. 

In Punjab, women are graced in phulkari suits and dupattas. A creation of intricate embroidery that translates to ‘flower work’, phulkari finds its roots of creation at the hands of the artisans of rural Punjab. These designs are said to be blessings of fertility and vibrancy of life manifested on cloth by hand. 

Younger girls and unmarried women are seen decked up in lehengas and salwar suits as they embody their femininity with playfulness, where as, married women usually wear sarees and heavily embroidered suits a symbol of their marital status and devotion to their husbands. 

Men partake in the festivities with a high emphasis on traditions and cultural norms. In every state that celebrates Teej, men are seen decked up in kurta-pyjamas or dhotis, which serve as a symbol of reverence, culture and elegance. The kurta is loose fitted knee length shirt, decorated in designs of bandhej and leheriya in the western states and found with little accents of phulkari in Punjab. It is paired with pyjamas or dhotis that represent simplicity and respect for traditional values. They are usually seen in colours of cream, beige and pastel shades to compliment their wives, who are dressed in bright hues.