Teeyan | |
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Official name | Teeyan Da Teohar |
Also called | Teej |
Observed by | Punjabi Women |
Type | Monsoon festival/seasonal |
Celebrations | Boliyan, Giddha |
Begins | Third day of the month of Sawan |
Ends | Full Moon in the month of Sawan |
Date | July/August |
Part of a series on |
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Teeyan ( Punjabi: ਤੀਆਂ), also known as Teeyan Da Teohar (trans: the festival of women) or Teej, is a festival celebrated throughout Punjab which is dedicated to the onset of the monsoon [1] and focuses on daughters [2] [3] sisters, and mothers.
The festival is celebrated during the monsoon season from the third day of the lunar month of Sawan on the bright half, up to the full moon of Sawan (about 13 days), by women. Married women go to their maternal house to participate in the festivities. [4] In the past, it was traditional for women to spend the whole month of Sawan with their parents. [4] [5]
Whether or not a married woman goes to her parents, brothers take a gift set to their sisters called a 'sandhara'. A sandhara includes a Punjabi Suit/ sari, laddoo, bangles, mehndi (henna) and a swing. [4]
The festival of Teeyan centers on girls and women getting together in the village green and tying swings to the trees. The festival gathers momentum in the Teeyan Giddha, which is performed to the singing of traditional Boliyan such as the one below.
ਓੁੱਚੇ ਟਾਹਣੇ ਪੀਂਘ ਪਾ ਦੇ
ਜਿਥੇ ਆਪ ਹੁਲਾਰਾ ਆਵੇ
[4]
Romanization:
Uchay tahne peeng pa de
jithey aap hulara aavey
Translation
Hang my swing from a high tree branch
where the swing moves by itself
In the past, the festival would last for as long as the girls wished ranging from a few days to four weeks. Girls would often gather to dance Giddha every day. The festival would close by the women performing the closing dance called 'Bhallho'. Bhallho or Ballo is performed by the women standing in two rows and dancing. [6] This tradition of women getting together in villages has now become mostly extinct. [7]
The food traditionally associated at Teeyan is:
Punjabis consider Teeyan as a seasonal festival. The Teeyan gatherings often happened in villages in Punjab. The festival is also called Sawan, Teej, Kajri, Kajli, Hartalika in other states of India and is celebrated in different ways although the essence is kept the same. It is also celebrated especially in schools and colleges as the focus of the festival is often on young women.