A festival to celebrate woman power…
The area of Sindh was extremely fertile and the residents were people who were really hard working. However more than this the identity of Sindhi community was created by whimsical river named INDUS, which ran through the area. The river changed course at will and you could be at the bank one day and find yourself flooded the next day. This created an inbuilt and indelible preparedness for change and resilience.
By nature Sindhis have been highly religious and considered to be influenced by Sufi thoughts. Of the various festivals and rituals followed by Sindhis, Teejdi (Teejri) is considered important by virtue of its position in the month of Shrawan which is the greenest period of nature all around. Teejdi is celebrated on the third day of Raksha Bandhan and this is a festival dedicated to husbands but celebrating woman power. While married women pray and fast for good health & long life of their husband, there is a belief that unmarried girls/women are blessed with suitable, good husbands if they fast n pray with all their devotion on Teejdi.
Similar in format to Karwa Chauth by women in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, on Teejdi, Sindhi women keep a fast for their husband and singing folk songs is a ritual. In the evening they prepare a sweet kheer with rice and milk and make an offering of milk and water mixture to the moon first and end their fast.
On this festival day ladies adorn themselves with Mehendi and the unwritten dress code for the day is RED or shades Red and Pink. A wheat flour lamp that can be lit on four sides is prepared and used on this day. Being a religious community altogether, Sindhis also visit temples on this festive occasion and enjoy the day celebrating the woman power in the green month of Shrawan.