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I. Teej and Liberation of Women The people of Nepal comprise a great variety of races, religions, castes, cultures and languages. Such a diversity of the Nepali society predates the formation of the present state of Nepal. Geography, along with historical processes, seems to have greatly conditioned ethno- regional and cultural formation of the country. Diversities of land - high mountains, plains, deep rivers and dense forests have already fostered several isolated cultural pockets within its territorial span. As a result, several independent and semi-independent but scattered principalities with relative ethno- religious and cultural identity of their own have been existing. Over the period, they have gone through various socio- cultural process and historical intervention. Every country is dominant with certain language, custom, religion and caste. CBS report has stated that in Nepal the chief religions are the Hindu, Buddhist and the Muslim though Christianity is being practised for several decades which are the global influence of religion and culture. The most dominant religion „Hindu‟ is one of the chief religions in the world. In this regard, Axel Michaels comments, “Hinduism is counted as one of the world religions. With more than 663 million followers, it even forms the third largest religious domination-after Christianity (1.67 billion) and Islam (881 million). The „Hinduism‟ is based on the scriptures like the Vedas, the Puranas, the Upanisads, the epics like the Mahabharat, and the Ramayana and also on the philosophies of saints and Hindu priests as well as Brahminical way of life. Teej is the festival and ritual especially for the Hindu women, celebrated on the third day after the new moon in Nepali month of Bhadra Sukla Trayodasi (August). As described in Barsik Brata Ratnawali the word Haritalika Teej comes from the Sanskrit word that consists of double meaning- Harita and Alivi (82). It 49 means Parwati's friend hided her into a jungle to avoid her marriage with Lord Bishnu. In the Sanskrit Harnu means kidnap. Alivi means friends of Parvati who belong to Alivi race. Thus Haritalika is the derivation of the word Harita Alivi. Teej festival is celebrated on the month of Bhadra (August) because it is the month in which folks get free time after their terrible hard work of plantation of their main foods like rice, millet. On the one hand, nature is full of green vegetation; on the other hand, they put themselves in the clothes of multiple colors. It seems that folks and nature have agreed to celebrate on the occasion of Teej. This festival is celebrated in different regions differently. However, the mythical aspect of this festival is the same. The performance varies due to diverse geographical location and the way of life of people, as well as economic status. Generally, Teej is celebrated spending four days. It starts from Bhadra Dwadashi (second day after the new moon), in this particular day married daughters and sisters are invited to Maitighar (parent's home) to celebrate Teej. The first day of Teej is called Darkhane Din (finest foods are cooked, it is a kind of preparation for next day). On this particular day, traditionally, hygienic foods like Dhakane, Khir, Ghee, Chhali, fried potato, pickle, curd and so on. In Nepali context these foods are finest and good for health. Even in the midnight of this day women usually take hygienic food for better health for the Brata of next day. There is no specific difference in celebrating Teej among unmarried girls, married women and widows. However, unmarried girls worship Shiva with the hope of getting a good husband. Likewise, married women worship for their husband's good health and long life. The widow women worship for the consolation of late husband's spirit. 50 According to the Hindu myth, women are not allowed to take even a drop of water. If a woman takes a drop of water it is equivalent to drinking her husband's blood, and eating food is equivalent to her husband's flesh as well as she will be sonless, sinful, chatterbox, and will not be redeemed from sin even after her death. Hindu mythology also states that women should not take any food items, water, even during her normal state but critical period like menstruation, childbirth, and illness. These matters are stated in the Barsik Brata Ratnawali. It says: If the worshipper women processly listen to the Teej story feed the best food items to the priest and the virgin girls with their husband donate the best costume to them then they will be the lucky women for their seventh birth and be the queen of heaven. If the women disobey the rules of myth, they will be poor, chatterbox, sonless and sorrowful women. The women who eat food items, she will be delivered to hell after their death. (My Translation 71) The above statements support the fact that if women take water or any kind of food items in the Teej day, they are supposed to be disobeying their husband and their activities support to destroy their husband's clan. It is believed that the door of the heaven will not be opened for them up to Saath Janma (seven life times). Barsik Brata Ratnawali relates the Teej as festival of women where Parwati is believed to have undergone hard penance to get Shiva as her husband. In the same way, married Hindu women regard their husbands as Lord Shiva and worship them for their long life and better health. Unmarried girls worship to get their future husband who will be as much charismatic as Lord Shiva. It also carries a story that the 51 women who make Shiva Linga out of sand and worship it, they will never become widow. According to Hindu myth, Parwati's father, Himalya Parwat, wanted to get her daughter's marriage with Lord Bishnu but Parwati wanted to have Shiva as her husband from her early childhood. To achieve her goal, she underwent hard penance for sixteen years having only smoke, and dry leaves for sixty-four years. Parwati makes a statue of Shiva Linga with sand and worship it without taking any food and water in the Bhadra Shukla Tritiya. After this worship she gets Shiva as her husband. (My Translation 74-75) In the line of myth, Hindu women try to follow Parwati's ways of worshipping their husband by not taking any drop of water and food.Women are shown in such a way that they are ready to die for their husband and family. This mythology culturally indoctrinates Hindu women that husbands are the supreme one. On the Teej day, the actual Brata initiates from bathing by going nearby rivers, taps, and after bathing, they erect a stone as symbol of Shiva Linga, and worship it by offering cucumber bud, and Akchhetapati. They come at home and adore themselves in red dresses and complete make-up along with finest jewellery. Married women use their special clothes belonging to their marriage ceremony such as wedding Sari, Vermillion, Pote, bangles, Sirful, etc. Unmarried girls use typical red dresses along with bangles and other jewellery in full make-up. Red dresses, finest jewellery and full make-up are related to their Sauvagya (good luck).Thereby Hindu women's Sauvagya is associated with their husband. 52 Only Sauvagyawati women are permitted to wear such types of clothes, jewellery and make-up because it is symbol of their husband as is in tradition. Adoring themselves in finest make-up, women, in public area like Deurali, Shiva temple, gather together to sing and dance in Teej songs and Sangini dance. Again they culminating in Puja for their husband, late husband or would be husband in Shiva Temple. Throughout the day they sing Teej Geet and Sangini. Through their Teej songs they express their pain, suffering, trauma and the story of hardships that they endured in their husbands' home. They sing the song like: All women go to Parent's home, but I am deprived of going there as that is far away. All ten sons of my father are living in the same house, but I have no space there. I did not get up early morning due to headache; mother-in-law woke up and smeared the house because she was angry with me. My husband asked water but I gave him unriped Jackfruit. (My Translation) These songs express the painful sorrow of women who do not have chance to go her parental home even in Teej. She is unsatisfied with the social norms that her brothers live in the same home having parental property but she is compelled to go to her husband's home. In the next song, she expresses her mother-in-law's inhuman behaviour during a time when she was unwell. In addition, the ultimate lines say that how she is facing problems because of her illiteracy while living with her literate husband. In Dhuppi dance women manifest their angst through the movements of their body and gestures. Particularly they try to coax their husband and mother-in-law 53 through Dhuppi dance. Body movement appeals to the mass who can easily understand what they actually mean. This dance is played with the division of women in two groups, "Mother-in-law! My brother's marriage has arrived Deurali. Please let me to go there. I will return in the evening" (My Translation). This dance seems as if they are really weeping. They try to melt the callous heart of their mother-in-law and husband through Dhuppi dance. At last they achieve their goal which has performed in the last part of Dhuppi dance.

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