Maha Shivaratri-The Hindus greatest festival

It is one of the most celebrated festival among Hindus community especially in India and Nepal.
Mahashivratri is considered to be the biggest festival amongst Hindus throughout the world. It is celebrated on the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha in ‘Phagun’, the Hindu lunar month. On this auspicious day, the devotees offer water, milk, ‘dhatura’, ’bhang’ and ‘akwan’ flowers to Shiva’s idol or on Shivaling, to placate and worship the Hindu- ‘God of destruction’.

As Shiva is considered the ideal husband who married ‘Parvati or Sati’, most of the Hindu Spinsters (unmarried girls) who have been praying every Monday to Lord Shiva especially keep ‘Vrat’ or ‘Upwas’ i.e. not having food after sunrise till sunset. Even married women pray and offer worship to the ‘Shivaling’, so that their husbands may have qualities like him. In Hindu mythology, each day in the ‘Hindu Samvat’ calendar holds some significance and the stories often vary, from different regions and communities.

Wedding of Shiva and Parvati

North Indians celebrate the day as the wedding anniversary of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Temples are decorated with flowers and ‘torans‘ (flower garlands), Shiv Bhajans are played throughout the day and in the evening as soon as the sun goes down, the fasting married, unmarried women folk, men folk and devotees of all ages take a ‘thaal’ ( brass or steel plate ) consisting of ‘Kaccha Dhudh (unboiled milk, Gangajal or plain pure water, flowers, bel-patra, white flowers, chandan, rice , incense sticks etc) go to the respective Shiva-Temples where the Shivalinga is there in the ‘Garba- Griha’, do ‘abhishek’ or anointing of the idol and doing ‘Rudrabhishek or bathing ‘ of the Shivalingam with milk and water and later applying haldi, kumkum, red and white chandan, flowers especially white flowers, rice, roli (dry tilak etc. In the evening, a grand ‘SHIVBARAAT’ is taken out in a huge procession where the ‘baraat’ or marriage procession of Shiva, along with ‘Nandi, Bringi’ and all the ‘Bhoot- Pisaach’(demons) of the ‘Nether world’(Pataal), who sing and dance, with a ‘Mahakaali’ like dancer impersonating the ‘Mahakaal Destructive dance’ as well as the ‘Tandava’, dance of destruction, wherein all the devotees in the procession are shouting ‘HAR HAR MAHADEV’ & ‘BUM BUM BHOLE’ and different other religious slogans accompanied by ‘Gongs, Dhol, Tasha and Band’, culminating at the biggest ‘Shiva Temple’ in the vicinity and offering Pujas.