KATHMANDU (UCAN) -- Members of "Deep Shrinkhala" (chain of lights), a Nepal Catholic Women's organization, held a Catholic celebration to mark "Teej," the traditional Hindu women's festival.

Jesuit Father Antony Sharma, head of the Catholic Church in Nepal, presided at a special Teej Mass for over 50 women, dressed in festive attire, at St. Xavier's Church in Kathmandu Sept. 8.

Father Sharma congratulated Deep Shrinkhala's Catholic women for "taking steps to be one with the Hindu women who are the center and reason behind strong Nepalese families."

Celebrated throughout this Hindu kingdom for three days after the first moon in the first week of September by thousands of married and unmarried Nepalese women, the traditional Teej festivities begin with a heavy meal.

Women eat to prepare for two days of fasting that follow. Dressed in bright red clothes and wearing ornaments, women can be seen dancing in the streets of Kathmandu and throughout the country.

Their fasting and joyful prayer ends with a dip in a local holy river as a hopeful plea to God to provide them with good husbands. Most women take the day off from work, though it is not a public holiday and offices remain open.

"Fasting and prayer is also the way Our Lady wants you to keep your families strong, and it is a blessing that the main day of the Teej festival falls today, the birthday of Our Lady," Father Sharma said at the Sept. 8 Mass.

The Church leader praised Deep Shrinkhala for taking part in challenging activities and congratulated them for starting their own magazine.

According to Hindu legend, the goddess Parvati, wife of Shiva, one of the three supreme deities in the Hindu pantheon, wanted Shiva as her husband.

Shiva disguised himself as Vishnu, another of the three gods, and came and spoke against Shiva. But Parvati continued her fast and prayer and did not believe what the disguised Shiva said.

Shiva, impressed, announced their marriage. Parvati called for dancing and celebrations prior to the marriage ceremony, hence the Teej festival.

Not all Nepalese celebrate Teej, since many in the highlands follow Buddhist customs, but many educated women celebrate it.

Dibya Sharma, a Catholic teacher at St. Mary's school for girls in Kathmandu, told UCA news after the Mass, "The combination of the festivities and fasting fits Jesus' saying that one should go about fasting joyfully.

"I came to Mass with my husband who is a Hindu, and he just told me he feels like he feels at Christmas or Easter celebrations."

Father Sharma told UCA News after the Mass, "I am looking forward to celebrating the 'Dashain' Mass Oct. 14," referring to the main Hindu festival in Nepal. "We must not miss any major Hindu festivals."

"The Religious of Nepal met on the last week of August in Kathmandu," he explained. "Most congregations were represented by the 28 Religious present, and we discussed the topic of inculturation."

"The Eucharist serves as a sign of inculturation that begins with the liturgy of life, our living out the Paschal Mystery in a personal and apostolic struggle to anticipate the Reign of God within us and among us.

"Inculturation is a misnomer for something much more profound -- each Church forging its local ecclesial identity," he said, noting that these were points made at their meeting.

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