Teej: The Day Kathmandu Turns Red

On one day in August or September, the streets leading to Kathmandu's Pashupatinath temple become a moving river of red. Tens of thousands of women in red saris, glass bangles and gold jewellery queue to worship Shiva, then sing and dance in circles for hours. This is Haritalika Teej, the most important festival for Hindu women in Nepal.

The story

Teej commemorates the devotion of the goddess Parvati, who is said to have undergone years of fasting and penance to win the god Shiva as her husband. Married women traditionally fast on this day for the health and long life of their husbands. Unmarried women fast in the hope of a good match. The name "Haritalika" refers to an episode in which Parvati's friend spirited her away to a forest to save her from an unwanted marriage.

Three days

The feast. On the evening before the fast, women gather, often at their parents' homes, for a rich meal called dar. There are sweets, rice pudding, fried breads and curries, along with singing and dancing late into the night. The feast must end before midnight.

The fast. The main day. Many women take no food at all, and the strictest take no water either, from dawn until the next morning. They bathe, dress in their finest red and green, and go to a Shiva temple to offer flowers, fruit and prayers. Afterwards, they dance. Circles form in temple grounds and public squares, with one woman after another stepping into the middle while the rest clap and sing.

Rishi Panchami. Two days after the fast, women perform a ritual bath in rivers and ponds, using a sacred herb and red mud, and honour seven ancient sages. It is a rite of purification.

What you will see

• Red everywhere. Saris, shawls, bangles and bead necklaces in shades from scarlet to crimson, with flashes of green and gold. Red is the colour of marriage and good fortune.

• Queues. At Pashupatinath, lines of women stretch for a kilometre or more from before dawn.

• Dancing. The mood is exuberant despite the fast, and continues all day.

• Songs. Teej songs have a distinctive style and are sung in the weeks beforehand at gatherings across the country.

A festival in debate

Teej is not without controversy among Nepalis. Critics point out that women fast for men while no equivalent is asked of husbands, and that the costly feasts and displays of jewellery put pressure on families. Others value it as one of the few occasions on which women leave household duties behind, return to their childhood homes and spend days in each other's company.

The songs have long served as an outlet. Alongside devotional and romantic themes, women have traditionally used them to voice complaints about in-laws, husbands and the hardships of married life, and in recent decades to sing about rights, education and politics. Many women now observe a lighter fast or simply join the celebration.

Hearing these different views is part of understanding the festival.

Where to go

Pashupatinath, Kathmandu. The main gathering. On the day, the inner temple area is reserved largely for women devotees, and men are restricted in places. Non-Hindus cannot enter the main shrine at any time, but the surrounding lanes, the riverbanks and the open grounds where dancing takes place are accessible.

Local Shiva temples in every town host smaller gatherings that are easier to approach.

Public events. In the weeks before Teej, restaurants, clubs and community groups hold dar parties with music and dancing.

How to observe respectfully

• Ask before photographing, and do not push into the middle of a dancing circle with a camera. Many women are happy to be photographed; some are not.

• Women visitors who wear red are warmly welcomed and frequently pulled into the dance. Renting or buying a simple red sari or kurta for the day is easy and inexpensive.

• Men should keep a courteous distance from queues and dance circles and observe from the edges.

• Do not offer food or water to women who are fasting.

• Expect crowds and road closures around Pashupatinath. Walk the last stretch.

• Dress modestly, as at any temple.

The impression it leaves

Teej shows a side of Nepali society that visitors seldom see so openly: women in public, in large numbers, taking up space, laughing and singing with one another. Whatever the debates around it, the sight of a temple courtyard filled with whirling red is one of the most vivid of the festival year.