When Kajari Teej falls

Dates are computed astronomically against Kashi sunrise.

The significance of Kajari Teej

Kajari Teej puja vidhi

1. 1Bathe, wear festive clothes and take the sankalpa of the vrat.
2. 2Set up a small pond or vedi and worship Neemri Mata (a neem branch) with roli, akshat, flowers and a lamp.
3. 3Offer sattu, roasted grain and seasonal fruit; keep the fast through the day.
4. 4Read or hear the Kajari Teej katha and sing kajari songs in the evening.
5. 5On moonrise, offer arghya to the moon, complete the puja and break the fast.

Mantra

Vrat rules

• Married women keep a day-long fast, often nirjala, broken only after the moon is sighted at night.
• A neem branch (Neemri Mata) is worshipped by a small pond or vedi, together with the moon.
• Kajari — monsoon folk songs — are sung through the evening.
• In many villages cattle, especially cows, are honoured and fed.
• The fast is completed with arghya to the moon and the concluding puja.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing it with Hariyali Teej — Kajari Teej is a fortnight later, in the dark half of Bhadrapada, and centres on the moon and neem.
• Confusing it with Hartalika Teej, which is a much stricter nirjala vrat in the bright half of Bhadrapada.
• Breaking the fast before moonrise — Kajari Teej ends with arghya to the moon, not at a fixed hour.
• Overlooking the sattu, which is the day's signature offering and the food the fast is broken with.

The vrat katha of Kajari Teej

Kajari Teej timeline

1. Morning — neem & the goddess

   A neem branch is set up and worshipped as Kajari/Teej Mata; women fast through the day for their husbands and family.

2. Sattu & offerings

   Sattu (roasted gram flour) is central — offered, exchanged and eaten; a pond or well is worshipped in some regions.

3. Night — kajari songs

   The women gather to sing kajari, the monsoon songs of separation and longing, until late into the night.

4. Moon arghya & parana

   The fast is completed only after the moon has risen and been offered arghya, then broken with sattu.

Famous places & temples

Interesting facts

• ◆It is named for kajari — the monsoon folk songs of Mirzapur and Banaras, sung of a woman's longing for her absent beloved.
• ◆A neem branch is worshipped as the goddess, tying the vrat to the tree and the rain-soaked season.
• ◆It is also called Badi Teej or Satudi Teej, for the sattu that is its defining food.
• ◆Unlike the earlier Hariyali Teej, its fast is broken only at moonrise, after arghya to the moon.

Common questions