Mahasivratree festival
Maha Shivratri, a Hindu holiday that honors Shiva, the god of darkness and destruction, will be celebrated on Tuesday. Devout Hindus and Shiva devotees typically spend one night each month reflecting on Shiva, a night known as Shivratri. But Maha Shivratri, or the great night of Shiva, is a special event celebrated once a year.
The holiday usually falls in February or March, depending on the lunar calendar.
Indian artists dressed as Lord Shiva (L) and goddess Durga (C) apply make-up before performing a religious function on the eve of the Maha Shivratri festival at a temple in Amritsar on February 12, 2018. Hindus mark the Maha Shivratri festival by offering special prayers and fasting to worship Lord Shiva, the lord of destruction. NARINDER NANU/Getty Images
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To celebrate, some Hindus visit temples dedicated to Shiva, known as Jyotirlinga Shiva temples. The most popular Jyotirlinga are in Varanasi in India’s Uttar Pradesh region and in Somnath in Gujarat. People make annual pilgrimages there to celebrate Maha Shivratri. Shiva devotees who cannot travel spend the day chanting and meditating, practicing yoga, or fasting.
Indian artists dressed as Lord Shiva takes selfie pictures during a religious function on the eve of the Maha Shivratri festival at a temple in Amritsar on February 12, 2018. ARINDER NANU/Getty Images
The Shiva Purana, one of the sacred Sanskrit texts that focus on Shiva and the goddess Parvati, claims that people who eat only fruit on Maha Shivratri will retain the spiritual benefits of Shiva worship the whole year round. Chanting the “Om Namah Shivaya” mantra is also believed to bring the Shiva devotee to a heightened level of spiritual awareness.
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Indian Hindu devotees perform rituals over a lingam representing Lord Shiva at a temple on the eve of the Maha Shivratri festival in Amritsar on February 12, 2019. NARINDER NANU/Getty Images
There are several legends that explain Maha Shivratri’s meaning and significance for Hindus. According to one, Maha Shivratri marks the day Shiva drank negativity and took it into his own body to protect the world. Shiva is often depicted as the destroyer of negativity, evil, ignorance, and even death. Creation is only made possible with destruction, and so Shiva is needed to clear the way for creativity.
Indian Jangam monks rest after singing religious songs ahead of Maha Shivratri festival in Jalandhar on January 28, 2019. SHAMMI MEHRA/Getty Images
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