ALTEC College Sponsored Teej Festival in Hobart, Tasmania
As a major sponsor of the Nepalese Teej Festival, ALTEC College’s Hobart Campus Manager Ashutosh Patel and Academic Coordinator Mathew Thomas attended the event at the Australian Italian Club, in Federal St., Hobart, on 26th August 2018.
ALTEC College was awarded a certificate of appreciation acknowledging its generous contribution to further achieve the goal of a multi-cultural Tasmania and also for a better and brighter future for the wider Tasmanian community.
About Teej Festival:
The Teej festival usually runs over a 5 day period. During this period the father/brothers do the cooking and child-care duties.
Day 1 = Father’s Day (of the woman)
Day 2 = Lots of different dishes – DAAR.
Day 3 = Teej fasting.
Day 4 = Rest
Day 5 = Wash in pre-dawn (River) then the women worship together at their home or in a temple.
The Teej festival is for Nepalese women. Teej celebrates the victory of a wife’s love and devotion toward her husband. Part of this devotion is that the wife fasts for the day after (not even a drop of water) in the belief that this will give the husband a long/healthy life.
Previously it was an opportunity for the wife to meet her original family (escorted by her brother). In these days the songs were more tragic, but in more recent times the songs have become more lively. It is also an occasion for married women to visit their parents and return with gifts for their mothers-in-laws. Teej, therefore, provides an opportunity to renew original family bonds. The Teej festival marks the end of the monsoon (rainy) season.