Maha Shivratri is one of the major festivals of the Hindus and literally means “Night of the Shiva”. It is celebrated on the new moon day of the Maagha (February) month, as per the Hindu lunar calendar. It is largely celebrated in India as well as Nepal.
On this auspicious day, people in large numbers, throng to temples and offer prayers to please the Lord. It is also believed that the Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati married on this day. Many people also observe a fast on this day and offer sweets, flowers, milk and bael (wood apple) leaves on Shiva Linga.as they are belived to be lord shiva’s favourite.
Some other facts about the festival of Mahashivratri are as follows:
According to some, Shivratri is celebrated as the day when Shiva saved the world from the pot of poison that emerged from the ocean during Samudra Manthan. If legends are to be believed, Lord Shiva drank the poison and stored it in his throat–which made his throat turn blue (which is why he also came to be known as Neelkanth).
Yet another legend goes on to say that Shivratri is celebrated as the day when Brahma and Vishnu got into a major tiff about their supremacy over each other and an angry Lord Shiva punished them by taking the form of a massive fire that spread across the length of the universe. Vishnu and Brahma then got into the race to find the end of the fire and prove their prowess–only to be dismayed. Brahma resorted to a lie, and angered Shiva greatly who cursed that no one would ever pray to him.
On the day of Shivratri, people keep fast, sing devotional songs and recite his popular tales. The temples are beautifully decorated with lights and flowers. People believe that fasting on this auspicious day will bring good luck and prosperity into their lives. The roar of the devotees shouting ‘Shivji ki Jai’ and ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ turn the whole atmosphere truly pious and religious.
Shivratri is an important festival for the Hindu women also. Many married and unmarried women worship Goddess Parvati who is also known by the name ‘Gaura’ for the blissful married life or to get good husbands. One can therefore see a lot of women performing all the rituals of the festival religiously seeking the blessing of the Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati for the peaceful and happy life.
One of the main aspects of the festival is smoking marijuana as the devotees believe that the Lord Shiva very much like it. There is also a tradition of drinking Thandai (kind of drink prepared from bhang and milk). Win upto Rs.500 on food movies and more on using Amazon Coupon Codes.