Festival · 2027
Hariyali Teej 2027 — Wednesday, 4 August 2027
Hariyali Teej is the monsoon festival on the third day of the bright half of Shravana, when women celebrate the union of Shiva and Parvati with swings, songs, green clothes and mehndi.
In 2026
Saturday, 15 August 2026
- Tithi
- Shukla Tritiya: 14 Aug, 6:47 PM – 15 Aug, 5:29 PM
- Lunar month
- Shravana
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:50 AM / 7:00 PM
Rule: Shravana Shukla Tritiya at sunrise.
In 2027
Wednesday, 4 August 2027
- Tithi
- Shukla Tritiya: 4 Aug, 8:20 AM – 5 Aug, 5:09 AM
- Lunar month
- Shravana
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:43 AM / 7:10 PM
Rule: Shravana Shukla Tritiya at sunrise.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Hariyali Teej?
Hariyali Teej falls on Shravana Shukla Tritiya, in the middle of the rains, when fields and trees have turned green. Hariyali means greenery, and the festival is as much a welcome to the monsoon as a religious observance. It is also called Shravani Teej, Chhoti Teej and Sindhara Teej, and it is the first of the three Teej festivals of the season, followed by Kajari Teej and, in Bhadrapada, Hartalika Teej.
The day honours Parvati’s devotion to Shiva. The Shiva Purana, in its Rudra Samhita, tells how Parvati, daughter of the mountain king Himavan, set her heart on Shiva and practised severe austerities until he accepted her. Popular tradition says her penance lasted through many births and that Shiva finally accepted her in the month of Shravana, and Hariyali Teej is kept as the joyful memory of that union. Parvati is worshipped here as Teej Mata, the goddess of the day.
For married women the festival is a prayer for a happy married life, and for unmarried girls a prayer for a good husband, in the spirit of Parvati’s own wish. Many women keep a fast, some without water until the evening puja, while others simply spend the day in worship and celebration. After the puja they gather to sing Teej songs, dance and take turns on swings hung from the branches of trees, a custom so tied to the day that in many towns swings are put up specially for it.
A special feature of Hariyali Teej is the sindhara, a gift sent by a married daughter’s parents to her marital home. It usually holds clothes, bangles, mehndi, sweets such as ghevar and other things for the festival, and for a newly married woman the first Teej, often spent at her parents’ home, is a much-awaited occasion. In the Hindi-speaking countryside, Teej is remembered as a day of friendship among women, of songs passed down from mothers and grandmothers.
How it is observed
- Wearing green clothes and green bangles, and applying mehndi on the hands the evening before or on the day.
- Keeping a fast for the day, in some families without water, as a prayer for married happiness.
- Worshipping Parvati as Teej Mata, often with Shiva, with flowers, sweets and items of a married woman’s adornment.
- Hearing the Teej katha of Parvati’s devotion and Shiva’s acceptance.
- Swinging on swings hung from trees, and singing Teej and Sawan songs with friends and neighbours.
- Sending and receiving the sindhara from a married daughter’s parents, with ghevar, clothes and bangles.
How the date is fixed
Hariyali Teej is kept on Shravana Shukla Tritiya, the third tithi of the bright half of Shravana. Our calendar gives the day on which this Tritiya is current at sunrise. Because it falls in the bright half, the month name is the same in both the north Indian (purnimanta) and the amanta calendars, so there is no confusion of names for this Teej, unlike Kajari Teej, which falls in the dark half.
Where practice differs
The festival is strongest in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and Punjab. In Jaipur a procession of Teej Mata leaves the old City Palace and winds through the walled city over two days. In Punjab the season is celebrated as Teeyan, when girls and women gather for weeks of songs, gidda dances and swings. In Braj, Krishna temples set out swings for the deities in the rains, and Hariyali Teej is part of that season of jhulan. In Nepal and among Nepali communities, the principal Teej is Hartalika in Bhadrapada.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Why is green worn on Hariyali Teej?
Green is the colour of the monsoon, when fields and trees come back to life, and it is also a colour associated with a married woman’s adornment in north India. Green clothes and bangles celebrate both the season and married happiness.
What is the difference between Hariyali Teej, Kajari Teej and Hartalika Teej?
Hariyali Teej is Shravana Shukla Tritiya. Kajari Teej comes about two weeks later, on the Tritiya of the next dark half. Hartalika Teej is Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya, another two weeks on. All three honour Parvati, with different customs.
What is sindhara?
Sindhara is the gift a married woman’s parents send to her for Teej: clothes, bangles, mehndi, sweets such as ghevar and other festive things. It is why the day is also called Sindhara Teej.
Can unmarried girls keep the Hariyali Teej fast?
Yes. Many unmarried girls keep it, following the example of Parvati, who worshipped with the wish to marry Shiva. How strictly the fast is kept depends on family custom.