Nepal, July 23 -- reen is the colour of the Nepali month of Shrawan. It is the middle of the monsoon, and the countryside is emerald green, the air is clean and there are sacred festivals every other day.

How appropriate, then, that green is the colour of this auspicious month. Women wear green bangles, don green sari and throng the temples.

For one, according to Hindu mythology, it is said that the gods and demons churned the cosmic ocean, yielding the elixir of life as well as a deadly poison. Lord Shiva then took it upon himself to save the universe - he swallowed the poison and his throat turned blue.

Goddess Parvati fasted during Shrawan, praying for Shiva as her husband. And that is the tradition observed to this day as women fa...