Walk through any North Indian market in the last week of July, and you will see it before you hear it: stacks of green glass bangles, mehndi stalls doing brisk business, sarees in every shade from pista to emerald. Sawan, also known as Shravan, begins on 30 July 2026 and concludes on 28 August 2026 - and for a month, green becomes less a colour and more a language.
But why green? The answer sits at the meeting point of mythology, monsoon and meaning.
A Colour Born of Rain and Devotion
Sawan arrives with the monsoon, when parched earth turns lush almost overnight. Devotees see the season's rains as ideal for inner cleansing and prayer, with the weather calm and the greenery at its most abundant - so wearing green becomes a way of mirroring nature's own renewal.
The mythology runs deeper. According to tradition, Goddess Parvati wore green while performing penance to win Lord Shiva's heart - and ever since, women have worn green bangles and clothes during Sawan, praying for love, harmony and the wellbeing of their families. The colour, in other words, is a prayer you can wear.