Preparations for the Puja:-
In evening, all women dress up in their best attire and jewelry with heena (mehndi) pecked hands and feet. As the sun sets, all women of the family and neighboring houses gather and perform puja and hear Badi Teej katha followed by worshiping moon and having sattu. Many preparations are required for Badi Teej Puja.- Requirements for Puja
- Sattu and pindaas are made the previous day.
- A small branch of neem tree, soil and leaves from the Aakde ki shrub Roll, chawal, abhir, gulal, haldi powder, moli, mehendi, cucumber, lemon, jaggery, flowers, paan leaves, sabut supari, agarbathi, deepak, camphor, matchsticks, money for offering.
- Unboiled milk in a katori, small kalash with water.
- Small plates to keep the sattu and pata.
- Small red cloth with zari in the size of a handkerchief with gota around it for Neemadi ka Odna, zari blouse piece.
- Put a swing on a tree in the house (not compulsory).
- Morning Puja
In the morning in one plate keep four small laddoos made out of sattu and some money and in the second plate keep small pindaas made for Brahmini, a zari blouse piece and some money. Now do the kalpana and give the first plate to the mother-in-law and seek her blessings, second to the Brahmini.
In case the mother-in-law is not present there, then send the kalpana to the temple. - Kalpana
In your right palm put a little roli, chawal and pour a little water. Rotate your right palm around the kalpana plates leaving a little water. After the rotation pour the remaining water in front of the plate. - Evening Puja
Dress up wearing a chunri saree or a yellow saree with red border; jewellery and a nose ring with a pearl.
Swing on a swing 7 times either in your house or in a garden (not compulsory).
In the evening around 4 o clock, the branch of neem tree is planted with the help of mud in the centre of the pata or a large thali or against the wall facing east. Around this a rim of mud referred to as paal is made.
While doing the puja, water and un-boiled milk is poured on the branch of the neem referred as Neemadi, paal and the space in the centre between the neem branch and paal.
Make a Ganeshji by wrapping red moli thread on a whole puja supari, place the Ganeshji on the betel leaf and put this on the puja pata. Place the kalash and deepak on pata.
Light the deepak and agarbathi.
Now do the puja first of Ganeshji, then of kalash, then of deepak, then of Prithvi Mata, then of Neemadi Mata and paal by offering roli, moli, flowers, chawal, abhir, gulal, haldi powder and jaggery.
Odna is put around the Neemadi Mata and lemon, cucumber and sattu are offered.
In the water which is in the centre of the neem branch and the paal, women try to see the reflection of following things:
- Neem leaf
- Deepak (sacred lamp used for puja)
- Gota of the odna (Boundary piping of sari or odhni )
- Pearl of the nath (nose ring)
- Sattu
- Lemon
- Cucumber
While seeing each item following lines are chanted:
“Neemadi mein (name of the item) dikha, dikha so hi tute".
Tute means to get. Whatever is seen in the reflection, one prays to get that throughout the year. After this the katha of the festival is read or heard with aankha (Little sattu and few rice grains) in hands. Then following song of Neemadi Mata is sung:
Neemadi Ka Geet:
Udiyaarpur soon maaruji beej mangaay
Maarju neemadlee bavaa dayo baalu rait me jee mehararaaj
Maakhaniyaari maaruji jaal baandhyaay
Maaruji neemadlee sinchaaydyo ji kaache doodh soon jee mehara raaj
/agi neemadlee ghare ghumare
Maaruji ugatadi joog moyo aaleej ree neemdee jee mehara raaj
Koi mati todo neemadlee ra paan
neemadlee ree daalya hindolo ghalaay
maarujee dholyo ne maaruni donyu hinda hindaryaji mehara raaj
abakee avland dhola jethesa ne bhej
maaruji abaki Teeja ne donu pindo paasyaji mehara raaj
- Giving arag/arak to the moon
After sighting the moon with the water of the kalash along with the aankha, arag is offered to the moon.
Puja is done by offering moli, kumkum, roli, chawal and little sattu. After this, standing at the same place, one does four parikrama. We touch the water offered to the moon from the floor and touch it to our eyes for good luck.
While offering arag following lines are chanted:
“ Sone ki sankali, motiyon ka haar chandra ne arag deta jeevo veer bhartar"
Touch the feet of the elders seeking their blessings. - Sattu Paasana
Put pindaa in the thali and ask your husband to sit next to you. He cuts the pindaa with the knife and gives you a small piece seven times to eat. This is referred as paasana. If the husband is out of station, mother-in-law or sister-in-law can also do the paasana.
Now make a cone from the leaf of the aakde ki shrub and drink unboiled milk 7 times.
Again make a cone from the leaf of the aakde ki shrub and drink water 7 times. Every time whoever makes you drink the milk asks Dhaaya which aska whether you are content having drunk the milk and you have to answer
“Doodh se dhaayi, suhaag se koni dhaayi".
This means I am content with the milk but I have still more desire for spending time with my husband. In the same way, every time whoever makes you drink water asks Dhaaya, which means whether you are content having drunk water and you have to reply
“Paani se dhaayi suhaag se koni dhaayi".
This means I am content having drunk the water but I still have more desire for spending time with my husband.
Take a leaf of the neem branch before doing this puja. Now make 7 small pieces of the neem leaf and then make 7 small morsels having a piece of neem leaf and your paasa pindaa. Now first eat the seven morsels, then the cucumber, lemon and the fruits. Afterwards if you feel like you can have more of your paasa pindaa.
Some people do not have hot food this day and only have milk, curds and fruits. If you cannot observe the fast at least do not have any cereal till the time you do the puja in the night. Some people after giving arag to moon have sattu prasad seven times and only after this have their meal.