Teej in Aboard

Teej is one of the major traditionl festivals of Nepal mostly celebrated by the Hindu female. It is celebrated in the month of Bhadra (early September) for three days. Women worship lord Shive fasting the first day of Teej in the name of Lord Shive for the good health and longitivtiy of their spouses. Unmarried girls also do fasting for the hope of getting desired husbands. The married women go to their maternal home in this festival to share the hardships and happiness together specially with other sisters. This is, in other way, a musical festival as they sing traditional Teej songs which are different from other types of songs. These songs are sung only in this festival, almost for a month. However, these days Teej is celebreted for almost a couple of months with lavish parties and extravaganza. Due to the advancement of modern technology, social media, urbanization, international migration and change in social diagrams, the originality of this festival deteriorating.
Teej is a festival to exchange the experiences of life of a women after marriage with their siblings, mostly female; mother, sister, fupu ( father's sisters) . Father or the brothers go to the daughter or sister's home to bring her to their maternal house (maaita)  with the consent of their husbands and father in law or mother in law.
" barsa disko teejma baba lina anubho....Yeta aaunus swami hajur kata jaanu bho"
When they get consent from their husband or in laws, they go to their maaitighar where mother is waiting for the arrival of their daughters. If there are more than one daughters, whoever comes first will wait eagerly the another to share their married life. It was so important for them because there were no other ways to exchange woes and unhappy moments except letters. But most of the women were uneducated. In that context, Teej was the only platform for them to express distress and a few happy moments. However, this period is very short for those who only get chance once a year to go to their maaitighar. It is said that married women love the hill of their birthplace which they can see from home. " Maaitigharko kukur pear" is a popular saying in Nepali.
" Tea Mayo bhanera sabai maaita jaanchhan, panchamiko aarko dina rudai farkanchhan".
This means everyone goes to their maternal home in the teej, but after the short period of teej, they have to go back their home with a moment of painful separation, crying and wailing. Most of them return on the same day of panchami. Besides, this is the festival of Nepali women to wear jewelry and new red saari as a tradition. However, it turns to be a show up and brings social clash between haves and have nots.
Today, things have been changed a lot. Teej is not celebrated in the same way it used to be. Singing and dancing programs are held as a rock concert. The lyrics do not catch the spirit of the teej in the tradition way. Women organize the teej party in a party palace months ago with extravaganza. Such lavish parties in the party halls never deliver the traditional spirits. Songs are no more about the hardships of women in the rural setting. But most of the songs are like the farce and recorded in the studio. They do not really sing the songs, but play the recording and dance like 'Dhami jhakri'.
Why the traditional way of teej celebration is slowly vanicing? Is Nepal completely urbanized? Is pain and suffering of women over?
First, the impact of westernization can be seen every aspect of modern life everywhere. This is because of information technology, internet and social medias. Knowledge pass so instantly from one corner of the world to another. The life style of the people has been changed. The feminism movement has brought the vast change in the women's thinking. Women started singing about the politics and their rights rather than their owes. Those women who are still living in the poverty and domination of male ideology have no voice. In other way, their platform of singing is now replaced by the fancy recorded music concerts and teej songs in youtube and TV channels.
Secondly, communication is possible in every minute even to those who live in distant rural areas. They call, chat or facebook about their works, problem and happy moments. As a result they don't have to wait teej to express the sorrow. Teej is not only the vacation festival for them now due to the excess of transportation. When they miss their maternal family or they are invited for the family occasion, they can go easily. They spend more money in communication than other things. Due to the easy access to the abroad employment, many Nepalese work in foreign land, make little money and send iPhone or smart phone to their wives. In other way, women are also able to do jobs and can offer for the the data they use in communication.
Most of the women who live in the foreign countries can not return home to celebrate teej with their mom or the sisters. They are busy in their job and home. They can hardly manage a weekend for the festival. They invite their friends for the daar bhoj, wear saari which they stored all the year round, and dance at least two minutes to capture in the camera so that thy can upload in the facebook later. Now a days live is a big fashion whatever they do, they go live so that their friends from all over the world can see. The social organizatons or the community groups sometimes call the singers from Nepal and organize  teej program in the community halls. This kind of program are like the rock concerts. We don't feel like tradition teej which always occupied our mind with sentimental songs.
Teej songs are sung by boys and girls together. Now it has become a dohori song.