Festival of swings brings monsoon masti

Mirroring the magic of rains, Teej, the festival of swings is here when women in colourful garments are seen singing on the swings, feasting and pampering themselves — and most importantly enjoying a variety of Rajasthani delicacies.
Though primarily celebrated in Rajasthan, the women of Tricity are also geared to celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm.And since no festivities are complete without sweet delights - traditional sweets like ghevar, kheer, malpue, choorma were available in special decorated gift boxes in Tricity markets. Besides these, lip-smacking dishes like dal baati (made of urad dal), rajma beans, feni, etc are also available at shops across Tricity. Adding a touch of modernization to the celebrations, many shops have even come up with innovative and special gift baskets of chocolates and juices to gift loved ones on this day.
Neena Bhagri, a resident of Sector 33, said, “The rains have come to city on the heels of the month of saawan. And there’s no better way to celebrate it than having great food, pampering oneself and going on a shopping spree. We too take immense pleasure in celebrating the festival and make various preparations before hand. This year we plan to give out beautifully and innovatively packed gift delights available in city markets to our friends and totally gorge on amazing Rajasthani delicacies available during this time.”
Applying henna to one's hands and feet is a special and most beautiful tradition of this festival. Sectors 22, 15, 17 and 19, witnessed huge crowds, both young and married girls, getting special Mehndi designs applied to match the mood of the festival.
Mehndi artist at Sector 15 market, Parmod Gupta, said, “On Teej, women try to look as beautiful as they can. Intricate mehndi designs are also applied to hands and feet. In order to satisfy all tastes we apply different types of mehndi designs like Arabian, Rajasthani and glitter mix. This year, Rajasthan style mehndi design is in great demand.”
Apart from this, beautifully decorated swings are hung from trees and attractively dressed women dance and sing various Teej and Sawan songs. Women offer prayers to Parvati Mata and the Teej Vrat successfully completes. “Teej festival is primarily for women. We get to wear new clothes, jewellery, footwear and bangles. Since this is my first Teej after marriage, I’m quite excited. I’m told that through our fasting, we pray for the long life of our spouses on this day," said Meena Gupta of Sector 19.