Teej Saree Guide: Green and Red Looks for Hariyali, Kajari and Hartalika
For Teej, wear green for Hariyali Teej and red, maroon or another festive shade for Kajari and Hartalika Teej, in a light saree that can cope with monsoon rain and a long day of puja. Mul cotton and pure chiffon breathe in the humidity and dry quickly, and a zari stripe or a little embroidery makes the look festive without adding weight. This guide covers the 2027 dates, colours, a look for each Teej, rain and fasting-day comfort, what to do without a green saree, blouses, mehendi, jewellery, leheriya and budgets. You will find more festival picks in our Teej sarees collection.
The Three Teej Festivals and Their 2027 Dates
Teej is a collective name for three monsoon festivals that honour Parvati and Shiva. They are observed mainly by married women and girls, and each falls on a tritiya, the third day of a lunar fortnight, during Sawan and Bhadon. Dates follow the lunar calendar, so they move every year. In most calendars, using the sunrise tithi for Delhi, the 2027 dates are as follows.
Panchangs sometimes differ by a day, especially when a tithi begins or ends close to sunrise, and dates for families abroad can shift because the tithi is calculated for local sunrise. In one US city calendar, for example, Hartalika Teej 2027 falls on 2 September. Confirm your date with your local panchang or family priest before you plan around it.
The name Hartalika is usually explained as harat (taking away) and aalika (female friend), from the story of Parvati’s friends leading her into the forest so she could pray for Shiva. In Jaipur, Teej is marked with a procession of the goddess over two days, and in Punjab the women’s festival of Teeyan, with gidda and swings, runs for about two weeks from Hariyali Teej. In Nepal, Haritalika Teej is a public holiday for women (3 September 2027 in most calendars): a feast the day before, a fast with visits to Shiva temples, and then Rishi Panchami. Many women there dress in red sarees, often with a glass bead pote necklace.
Teej Colours: Green, Red and the Rest
Green belongs to Hariyali Teej because the festival celebrates the green of the monsoon: hariyali simply means greenery. Many families ask for a green saree with green glass bangles on this day. For Hartalika, red and maroon lead, as the colours of a married woman’s shringar in many families, and Nepal’s Teej is almost a sea of red. Kajari sits in between, with red, pink, yellow and green all common. None of this is a fixed rule; it is what most women reach for.
Within the greens, deep shades hide a henna smudge or a rain splash far better than pale ones.
People often ask about black and plain white. Many families prefer to avoid them for Teej and keep them for other occasions, but this is a family custom rather than a rule. If you love white, a saree with red detailing, such as Devi, white mul cotton with gold and red detailing, reads as festive. Unmarried girls who join the swings and the mehendi can wear any of these colours; green and pink are popular choices. For blouse ideas by colour, see our guides to a blouse for a green saree and a blouse for a red saree.
A Hariyali Teej Look in a Green Saree
Hariyali Teej is a daytime festival in the thick of the monsoon: a swing, songs in a courtyard, a visit home for the sindhara or a mela on wet grass. So a Teej look in a green saree should be festive but light, a fabric you can sit, swing and walk in, with some sheen for photos.
Pair your green saree with a red, rani pink or gold blouse, green and gold bangles, small jhumkas and fresh flowers in your hair. If you will be on a swing, read the drape tips in the rain section below before you pin. More greens are in our green sarees collection.
Kajari and Hartalika Teej Looks
For many women in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Nepal, these are the bigger days. Both centre on the puja and the fast rather than swings, so the look shifts towards red, maroon and traditional finishes.
Kajari Teej: songs and a home puja
Kajari is often celebrated at home or in the neighbourhood, with women gathering to sing kajri songs and, in many families, keeping a fast until moonrise. A comfortable, colourful saree that looks festive in a group works best. Crimson Charm, red block printed polka dot mul cotton (₹2,299), and Poppy Seed, red gingham mul cotton (₹2,199), are cheerful and washable. For more shine, Mauve Kiss is pink mul cotton with floral embroidery and zari (₹3,499). A yellow or pink saree with a green blouse also suits Kajari well.
Hartalika Teej: red, green and an evening puja
On Hartalika, many women keep a long fast and dress for an evening puja, often in red, maroon or green with zari. The red saree for Teej most women picture is a festive red that can take gold jewellery and sindoor. Manjari is red mul cotton with zari stripes (₹2,299), light enough for a long day. True Garnet is plain maroon red mul modal (₹1,899) with a 1 m running blouse piece, soft and washable. For a dressier evening, Main Event is burgundy red handloom linen with a zari border (₹4,299), and Vintage Wine is a maroon floral printed, hand embroidered chiffon (₹3,499).
Red for Teej overlaps with Karwa Chauth sarees, so a red saree bought now works again in autumn; our Karwa Chauth saree guide has more ideas. See all red sarees too.
Dressing for Rain and Humidity
Every Teej falls in the monsoon, and the long-term August averages for two Teej heartland cities show why fabric matters more than anything else.
These are IMD climate normals for 1991 to 2020; Jaipur has a high of about 33 °C in August. By Hartalika in early September, Rajasthan is much drier, but Bihar is still wet and humid. So you want a saree that breathes, dries fast and does not drag.
A drape that survives rain and swings
Use five to seven pleats in a light saree; in the wet, stay nearer five, as wider pleats sit flatter when damp. For a zari saree, pre-pleat the night before: fold and pin the pleats, nothing sewn. Different drapes are in our saree draping styles guide.
After the rain
Full washing instructions by fabric are in how to wash cotton, chiffon and linen sarees.
Comfort on a Fasting Day
Many women fast on Teej, and on Hartalika the fast is waterless (nirjala) in many families and can run well into the night. This is not advice on how to fast; it is about choosing clothes that ask nothing of you on a long, hot day. Anyone pregnant or unwell should follow their doctor’s advice about fasting.
For more puja-day dressing, see our pooja saree guide and pooja sarees.
No Green Saree? Five Easy Alternatives
You do not need to buy a new saree to mark Hariyali Teej. Green works just as well in the details, and a festive saree you already own can carry it.
A yellow saree for Teej works especially well this way: Amber, plain yellow mul modal (₹1,899), with an emerald green blouse and green bangles looks as Teej as any green saree. Mauve Melody, plain pink mul modal (₹1,899), does the same with a parrot green blouse. Both come with a 1 m running blouse piece.
Blouse, Mehendi and Jewellery
The blouse
A 1 m blouse piece covers most short and elbow sleeve designs; full sleeves often need more unless you are a smaller size, so show your tailor the piece first. Under sheer chiffon, choose soft cups or none, because moulded cups can show.
Mehendi
In many families mehendi is part of Teej, and for Hariyali it often arrives with the sindhara. Put it on the day before so the colour has darkened by the morning, and scrape off the dried paste before you dress. Our mehendi saree guide and mehendi sarees cover the colours that sit best with fresh henna.
Jewellery and the finishing touches
Solah shringar, the sixteen adornments of a married woman, is part of Teej in many families, though how much of it each woman wears varies widely. These are the pieces that come up most often.
Leheriya and Bandhani: How to Tell the Real Thing
Leheriya, from leher, a wave, is the Rajasthani tie-dye most linked with the monsoon and with Teej. The cloth is rolled, tied at intervals and dyed so that diagonal stripes appear, and in parts of Rajasthan the criss-cross version called mothra is associated with a newlywed’s Teej. Bandhani is its cousin: tiny points of cloth are pinched and tied before dyeing, leaving a pattern of small dots.
MAYIN does not make tie-dyed leheriya or bandhani. Rouge Waves is a pink and purple leheriya-style print on pure chiffon (₹3,999): it carries the wave mood for a Teej party. Our striped sarees such as Saaz, Emerald and Manjari have zari stripes, a different festive line.
One Saree, Three Teej, and a Look at Every Budget
The three Teej festivals fall within about a month of each other, so one good saree restyled three times is a sensible plan. Here is Saaz, green mul cotton with zari stripes, worn three ways. Air it on a hanger between wears.
A Teej special saree does not have to be expensive: a full look for under ₹3,500 is entirely realistic, and a mul cotton Teej saree keeps working for office days and pujas all year. Shipping is free within India, we also ship internationally, cash on delivery is available, and you can return or exchange within 7 days.
Teej Sarees in This Guide
SaazGreen mul cotton, zari stripesPair with Rani pink, red, gold
EmeraldGreen mul cotton, zari stripesPair with Red, gold, mustard
Mint MeadowPlain green mul cottonPair with Peach, pink, gold
Olive OasisPlain olive green mul cottonPair with Rust, mustard, gold
Pink GuavaGreen mul cotton, pink borderPair with Rani pink, gold, green
Spring FernPastel green gingham mul cottonPair with White, pink, green
OreliaGreen floral print pure chiffonPair with Green, gold, pink
ZyraLime floral print pure chiffonPair with Lime green, yellow, rani pink
ManjariRed mul cotton, zari stripesPair with Gold, green, red
True GarnetPlain maroon red mul modalPair with Gold, green, maroon
Main EventBurgundy red handloom linen, zari borderPair with Gold, bottle green, maroon
Vintage WineMaroon floral, hand embroidered chiffonPair with Wine, gold, green
Rouge WavesPink and purple leheriya-style print pure chiffonPair with Gold, green, pink
Mauve KissPink mul cotton, embroidery and zariPair with Green, gold, pink
Browse the full Teej saree collection, or narrow it down with green sarees, red sarees, festive wear sarees and mehendi sarees. For the festivals that follow, read our Karwa Chauth saree guide and pooja saree guide, and for pairings, blouse ideas for a green saree.
Questions People Ask
What colour saree should I wear on Teej?
Green for Hariyali Teej, and red, maroon, pink or yellow for Kajari and Hartalika Teej. These are customs rather than rules, so a festive colour that suits you is never wrong.
Why do women wear green on Hariyali Teej?
Hariyali means greenery, and the festival celebrates the monsoon turning the land green. Green sarees and green glass bangles are the traditional way to mark it in many families.
Which saree fabric is best for Teej in August?
Mul cotton, mul modal and pure chiffon. They are light and breathable in monsoon humidity; chiffon dries quickly, but send it for dry cleaning if rain marks it. Cotton tissue is crisper and warmer, so keep it for a cooler evening; handloom linen breathes well but creases, so it suits an evening puja more than a day on the swings.
When is Hariyali Teej in 2027?
Wednesday 4 August 2027 in most calendars, with Kajari Teej on Friday 20 August. Confirm with your local panchang, as dates can differ by a day, especially abroad.
When is Hartalika Teej in 2027?
Friday 3 September 2027 in most calendars, the day before Ganesh Chaturthi. In Nepal, Haritalika Teej is also on 3 September in most calendars.
What is the difference between Hariyali, Kajari and Hartalika Teej?
Hariyali falls in Sawan and is about swings, songs and greenery. Kajari comes about fifteen days later with kajri songs and, in many families, a fast until moonrise. Hartalika falls in Bhadon, usually with a long fast and an evening puja to Shiva and Parvati.
Can we wear black or white on Teej?
Many families prefer to avoid black and plain white for Teej, though it is a custom rather than a rule. A white saree with a red border is a festive middle path.
Can unmarried girls wear green or red on Teej?
Yes. Unmarried girls join Teej in many families and can wear green, red or any festive colour; green and pink are especially popular.
What should I wear for my first Teej after marriage?
Many new brides choose red, maroon or green with zari or embroidery, with bangles and a maang tikka. A hand embroidered chiffon or a handloom linen with a zari border suits the day.
What is the difference between leheriya and bandhani?
Leheriya is tie-dyed in diagonal wave stripes; bandhani is tie-dyed in small dots. In genuine pieces the colour runs through to the back.
What is sindhara in Teej?
Sindhara is the Hariyali Teej gift a married woman receives, in many families from her parents, often with sweets such as ghevar, henna and bangles.
