Hariyālī Tīj 2009

Hariyālī Tīj (Sāvan Tīj, Śrāvaṇ Tīj) falls on the third day of Śrāvaṇa's bright fortnight, in the heart of the monsoon season. Hariyālī means greenery: the festival celebrates the lush, rain-drenched earth and the reunion of Pārvatī with Lord Śiva after 108 births of tapas (penance) in which she steadfastly sought him as her husband.

The festival is predominantly observed in Rajasthan, UP, Haryana, Punjab, and Bihar. Women dress in green (the colour of the monsoon) and don green bangles, glass jewellery, and elaborate mehndi (henna). Swings are hung from trees in gardens and courtyards (a tradition going back to classical Sanskrit poetry) and women swing while singing Tīj songs (gīt) that describe Rādhā waiting for Kṛṣṇa in the rain.

Married women fast and pray for the long life and prosperity of their husbands, while unmarried girls pray to find a husband as devoted as Śiva. In Jaipur, a grand Tīj procession with the idol of Tīj Mātā (Pārvatī) travels through the streets of the old city, accompanied by elephants, camels, folk musicians, and thousands of women in green and yellow. The procession has been a Rajasthan state tradition for centuries.