Haritalika Tiz

Our wise and far sighted ancestors gave birth to different fasts, customs, rituals and religious practices with the intention of bringing about and around the development of human beings, because, these festivals and practices not only help in cleaning our physical system, but also help in curing many diseases. It helps in purifying our souls, by increasing our confidence, and develops our intellect. That is why Hindus attach great importance to these customary practices.

Haritalika Tiz is one of those festivals that the Hindus observe with great reverence every year in the month of August

The Hindu brothers invite their sister to their house, a day or two before Tiz and feed them with the best of food they can provide for their sisters depending upon their capacity. This treatment is a part of the ceremony, and Hindus call it 'Dar Khanay'.  On the next day of 'Dar Khanay', the sisters observe this fast of Haritalika Tiz. Due to this fast on historical  association with the life of Lord Shiva and Parvati, it occupies an important place in the mind of the Hindu women who consider it dearer than their life itself, and consider themselves very lucky to have the opportunity to observe this fast.

According to Hindu mythology, Narad, one day, went to the Himalaya to the father of Parvati, as a go between with the proposal of Lord Bishnu for  the hand in marriage of his daughter, Parvati. That was a welcome proposal for the father who always wanted his daughter to marry someone as able and capable as Lord Bishnu. Maneka, the mother of Parvati, also appreciated the proposal of Lord Bishnu, but his daughter Parvati had something else in her mind. She always desired to get married to Lord Shiva, and in order to achieve him as her cherished husband, she was meditating at the foot of the Himalaya. With the happy news of a proposal of marriage with Lord Bishnu, Narad came to the meditating Parvati to tell her about it. But Parvati remained steadfast to her decision to marry Lord Shiva, and no one else.

On seeing the distraction caused to the meditation of Parvati, her friends took her from there to an isolated island in South India, where she determined to remain as Kuwari instead of marrying Lord Bishnu. Even today that very island on which Parvati meditated exists, it is named as 'Kanya Kumari' after that incident. It is considered a holy place of pilgrimage by Hindus.

As Parvati was taken to that island by her friends without being known by anybody, the religious ceremony associated with this event is called Haritalika “Harit” to hijack' and “Ali” means 'the friend'. The Hindu women in this festival pray and worship Lord Shiva and Parvati to grant them similar strength of mind, to remain steadfast in their fidelity towards their spouse, to prevent them from becoming widows and to grant them children and grandchildren in order to perpetuate their generations.

At last, Lord Shiva was deeply moved by the sincere meditation of Parvati, so he fulfilled her cherished wish by accepting her as his wife on this day of August, in which this festival of Haritalika Tiz is annually celebrated by Hindus now. Menaka and Himalaya, the parents of Parvati also accepted Lord Shiva as their son-in-law whole heartedly and blessed their daughter.

On the day of Haritalika, Hindu women bathe early in the morning and worship Shiva-Parvati with great reverence and offer them fruits, flowers, sandal paste, incense, milk, curd, veti etc. and chant Sanskrit mantra.

"Mandar mala kulitiya kayai Kapal malankit shakerai Dibbam barai chadigambarai namoswhivayacha namashivaya"

              -which means "salutation to Shiva and Parvati who are bejeweled and adorned with flowers and jewels and attired in new clothes".

The fast is continued till evening and brought to an end only after properly feeding and offering alms to the brahmin, who conducts and guides the days rituals.

As one wheel cannot move a cart nor a wing can make a bird fly, so a man alone cannot move his life without the support of his female counterpart. Why are scriptures like Veda and Purana have extolled importance of an ideal couple for a successful life? Females, according to these scriptures, are not only the progenitors of the Earth, but are also the symbol and source of patience, encouragement and solace to the world. She is a mother, friend and wife to a man. Therefore, the festival of Haritalika, that instills such virtues in a woman is not only a mythological event that is commemorated annually, but much more than that with a scientific basis.