Wishing You a Blissful Teej

It's all going down in Rajasthan and Chandigarh today as this year's celebration of Teej comes to an end. The Hindu festival honors the goddess Parvati, commemorating her return after 100 years of separation to her husband, Lord Shiva. Invoking Parvati's blessing during the festival is thought to promote marital bliss. Invoking Parvati Shallow's blessing has a different set of benefits altogether.

The three-day celebration features both fasting and feasting, though it's unclear whether ketchup is involved. Women are encouraged to rest on the first day while men do all of the cooking and serving as part of a day-long party. In the Nepalese version of the festival, the first day (Dar Khane Din) is also one of the few days of the year women are allowed to openly complain. Or, as we know it at my house, every day.

The second day of the festival is one of fasting, at least in Nepal. (Other versions of Teej in India skip the fasting in favor of gift-giving. So we'll probably skip the Nepalese party.) The final day of the festival features ritual cleansing and prayers to various Hindu deities for successful marriage (or in the case of the unmarried, for decent husbands who won't give them much reason to bitch on Dar Khane Din).

The purpose of Teej is two-fold: to celebrate the power of a wife's love and devotion to her husband and to usher in the monsoon season. Our Teej also has a special purpose.

There are other similarities between the festival and the Gheorghian Teej, as I think about it. In India, Teej is marked by colorful costumery. Here, Teej often wears lime green basketball shorts and bright red running shoes. The festival celebrates indulgence, which has happened from time to time in our Teej's world. And those of us that recall the marriage of the Doofus Overlord to his bride will no doubt remember the joy of that celebration.

Blissful Teej, indeed.