Nepali women, both married and unmarried, are celebrating Haritalika Teej Tuesday by worshipping lord Shiva. According to the ritual, married women do a 24-hour fasting for the wellness of their spouse and their conjugal life, unmarried girls do the same praying for a perfect husband.

Thousands of Hindu women, mainly from Khas ethnicity, clad in bright red attire are seen thronging Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Kumbheshwar in Lalitpur and the nearby Shiva temples in other parts of the country.

They feast heavily on the eve of Teej, also called Dar Khane Din, and adhere to rigid fasting today. Some women even abstain from drinking water throughout the day, while others consider even swallowing saliva as a sin.

According to Hindu mythology, goddess Parvati was blessed with lord Shiva as her husband because she fasted on this day. The festival also commemorate her union with Lord Shiva. nepalnews.com

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