‘Tay’, a day in honour of Mother Earth

Keri: A day before Ganesh Chaturthi, Hindu married women in Goa observe the Hartalika festival or ‘Tay’ to mark the happy marital knot of goddess Parvati with Shiva.Geeta Avkhale from Virdi, Sankhali said, “We observe fasting on this day till afternoon. Thereafter, people break fast by restricting themselves to only vegetarian food with Goan delicacies such khatkhate, muga gati and leafy green vegetables sourced from twenty-one different edible plant species. We worship pictures of Parvati and Shiva by offering wild flowers and leaves.”Along with the pictures some women also worship the coconut as an embodiment of Shiva and 21 leaves as the representation of goddess Parvati.Vishant Vaze from Nanoda, Bicholim told TOI that on the day of Hartalika, clay idols of Parvati and her sakhi (a female friend) besides Lingam and Nandi are worshipped by women.In villages, some women follow a unique tradition. They insert a sapling of turmeric in a pitcher full of water drawn from wells and worship it.