2 October 2026 · Blog
Hariyali Teej in Haryana: peeng, ghewar and the sindhara
In most of India the big women's festival of the monsoon is Hartalika or Kajari Teej. In Haryana it is Hariyali Teej, on Shravan Shukla Tritiya. In 2026 it fell on Saturday 15 August, the same day as Independence Day, and it is listed among Haryana's restricted holidays. The state and district administrations still organise Teej melas, and schools hold Teej celebrations.
The peeng
A week before Teej, young men tie thick ropes to the strongest branch of a neem or peepal and fix a wooden plank, the patri. This is the peeng. Girls and young women swing in pairs, standing face to face, pushing higher with every song. A popular line goes "Aayi Teej, bikher gayi beej" — Teej has come and scattered the seeds — because the rains have just started the kharif crop.
Sindhara: the parcel from the maika
For a newly married girl the first Teej is the most important. Her parents send a sindhara (also called kothli) to her in-laws: a new suit or lehenga, bangles, mehndi, a mirror and comb, and above all sweets — ghewar, crisp suhali and gulgule. Often the girl herself goes home to her parents for Teej and swings with the friends she grew up with.
Mehndi and the green
The night before Teej, hands are covered with mehndi; the darker the colour, the more the girl is said to be loved. Green bangles and green or leheriya chunris are worn because the festival celebrates the green of the rains.
Teej and the next festivals
Teej starts the festival season. Fifteen days later comes Raksha Bandhan, then Janmashtami and Gugga Navami. An old saying puts it simply: "Teej tyohaaran ne le aayi, Holi le gayi bhar ke jholi" — Teej brings the festivals in, and Holi carries them away.
Dates follow the tithi at sunrise in Kurukshetra. Village Teej melas are sometimes held on the nearest Sunday.