Teej 2083

Haritalika Teej in Bhadra: women wear red and fast for the day, and Rishi Panchami follows two tithis later.

Teej is a festival in Bhadra. Married women fast for their husband's long life, and unmarried women fast to get a good husband. It has three parts: dar (a feast) on the day before, the fast on Haritalika Teej, and Rishi Panchami two tithis later. In some years the calendar shows Rishi Panchami on the very next day. The dates for this BS year and the next are below.

Teej dates

BS 2083

Events	BS Date	AD Date	Day
Haritalika Teej / Ganesh Chaturthi Varta / Rashtriya Dharmasabha Diwas / Rashtriya Bal DiwasHoliday	29 Bhadra 2083	14 Sep 2026	Monday
Rishi Panchami Vrata	30 Bhadra 2083	15 Sep 2026	Tuesday

How Teej is kept

Dar, the fast, and Rishi Panchami

Dar is the feast eaten on the day before the fast. Traditionally it is finished by midnight. Dar is now a large gathering: invitations go out weeks ahead, parents invite their married daughters home, and the eating and dancing go on late into the night. On Teej, many women keep a nirjala fast, with no food and no water for the whole day, and many continue until the next morning. They wear red and go to a Shiva temple. At Pashupatinath the queue starts before dawn and lasts all day. Two tithis later, Rishi Panchami ends the festival. Women take a ritual bath and do puja to the seven sages (Saptarishi). This is traditionally believed to remove the year's ritual impurity.

What has changed

Not every woman keeps the fast now, and more people question it. Doctors issue warnings about nirjala fasting every year, and employers see more absences. Many younger women keep the day as a gathering and either skip the fast or drink water during it. Dar parties are also criticised for their cost and show. Public dancing has increased. Teej songs are released on YouTube from mid-Shrawan.

Who keeps it

Teej is mainly kept by Khas-Arya communities and in the Tarai-Madhesh. It is not a Newar festival; Newar women have their own rituals. Kirat communities in much of the eastern hills do not keep it. In the Tarai it is closer to Hartalika in north India, with the same three days.

How the date is fixed

Haritalika Teej is Bhadra Shukla Tritiya, the third day of the bright fortnight of Bhadra. Its BS date changes every year. It usually falls in Bhadra and in some years in early Ashwin. Ganesh Chaturthi is the next day and Rishi Panchami the day after that. The three dates in the table are usually consecutive, but a skipped tithi can shorten the gap.

Common mistakes

Dar is held on the day before Teej. Plan the dar gathering for that day, not for the night of Teej. Teej is not a public holiday for everyone: the government holiday list gives it as a holiday for women employees only. Households that keep the full observance end the festival on Rishi Panchami, so include that day in your plans.

Questions about Teej

Is Teej a public holiday in Nepal?

Not for everyone. The government holiday list gives it as a holiday for women employees only. Government offices stay open, and schools often change their schedule.

Do you have to fast without water?

Nirjala (no food or water) is the strict form. Many women now fast with water or fruit. Medical advice is to drink water, especially if you are pregnant or diabetic.

When is Dar eaten?

On the day before the fast, usually finished by midnight. So the dar gathering is one day before the Teej date shown in the table.

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Teej Festival: Meaning, Fasting, and Traditions