Event Photos From First VC Smriti Sanjh (Memorial Night) 2011 Celebrated In Hongkong

April 5, 2013 by rumblefish · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Nepali Culture, Nepali Stage Dances, Picture Post

Here are some photos from the First VC Smiriti Sanjh 2011 i.e. the memorial night that was held in Yaumatei Community Hall in Hong Kong and was conducted by Indian Gorkha Ex Soldiers Association. Photo Courtesy: DCNepal

Originally posted 2011-08-28 09:56:58.

Picture Post: Chhath Celebration In Nepal

March 21, 2013 by rumblefish · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Nepali Culture, Picture Post

Photos By: Rajesh DC
Source: OnlineKhabar.com

The Chhath festival, celebrated by the people of this ancient capital of the Mithila region, has been a cultural convergence of both the Maithili-speaking people and the people migrated here from hill areas. Janakpur is believed to be the capital of the legendary king Janak, the foster father of Sita, who was married to Lord Ramchandra from Ayodhya in India . People of the Mithila region are of the opinion that the Chhath festival, also known as Surya Pooja (worshipping the sun) has been described in the Rig Veda, which is believed to be the oldest text available in the world.

Chhath emerged as a traditional festival after Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, began worshipping the sun during their one-year disguise in the palace of king Birat. People believe that worshipping the sun would help cure the disease like leprosy and bring about prosperity and longevity to their family members. Local people say that the festival has become more important after migrants from the hills also adopted it as their own cultural asset. Women of the Mithila region were busy in purchasing varieties of articles to offer to the sun god.

The Chhath festival is marked for four days. Men and women prepare special dishes made up of special rice and molasses and taste them after an audience of the moon. They took a dip in Ganga Sagar and Dhanush Sagar, the famous lakes of the area. During the four-day-festival, the devotees worship the rising and setting sun. [Text Source: magical-nepal.com/nepal_festival_chhat.htm]

See hundreds of cultural pictures of Nepal in our gallery by following the link below:

http://sanjaal.com/gal-zen/cultural-nepal/

Originally posted 2011-08-28 09:56:58.

Haritalika Teej In Nepal – Teej Songs, Teej Culture And Teej Videos

November 15, 2012 by rumblefish · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Nepali Culture, Teej

Teej Videos:

A Collection of various Teej Music Videos Are Located in Sanjaal Forum. You can access these videos by clicking here.

Teej – The Festival And The History:
Teej is a fasting festival for Hindu women of some parts of India and Nepal. It takes place in August or early September. It is celebrated for marital bliss, well-being of spouse and children and purification of own body and soul. The festival is a three-day-long celebration that combines sumptuous feasts as well as rigid fasting.

Generally falling on the Hindu month of Shravan (August), it also celebrates the arrival of monsoon after a season of oppressive heat. “Teej” is a small red insect that comes out of the soil during rains.

In Nepal, the first day of Teej is called the “Dar Khane Din”. On this day the women, both married and unmarried, mainly of Khas ethnicity, assemble at one place, in their finest attires and start dancing and singing devotional songs. Admists all this, the grand feast takes place. The jollity often goes on till midnight, after which the 24 – hour fast starts.

The second day is the fasting day. Some women live without a morsel of food and drops of water while others take liquid and fruit. On this day, they gaily dress and visit a nearby Shiva temple singing and dancing on the way. The Pashupatinath temple gets the highest number of devotees. At the Shiva temple, women circumambulate the Lingam, the symbol of the lord, offering flowers, sweets and coins. The main puja (religious ceremony) takes place with offerings of flowers, fruits etc made to Shiva and Parbati, beseeching teej is so hot their blessing upon the husband and family. The important part of the puja is the oil lamp which should be alight throughout the night for it is bad omen if it dies away.

The third day of the festival is Rishi Panchami. After the completion of the previous day’s puja, women pay homage to various deities and bathe with red mud found on the roots of the sacred datiwan bush, along with its leaves. This act of purification is the final ritual of Teej, after which women are considered absolved from all sins. The recent years have witnessed alteration in the rituals, especially concerning the severity, but its essence remains the same.

Teej is being celebrated just before one day of Ganesh Chaturthi. Married women do 24 hours nirjala fasting (without water or fruit) for the wellness of their spouse and married life.

Teej Dress:
Generally women wear red saree, bangles and green Pote (a garland made of tiny beads). The following models from thikthak.com are depicting the Teej Dress.