Every year, Hindus around the world celebrate Maha Shivratri, a festival dedicated to Shiva, one of their principal deities. Not to be confused with Shivratri or "night of Shiva", which occurs on the darkest day of every lunar month, Maha Shivratri or "the great night of Shiva" is observed yearly when millions of devotees fast and offer their prayers.
Many Hindus believe Maha Shivratri commemorates the day Shiva, who's known as the creator and destroyer of the universe, performed the Tandava, the divine dance of creation and destruction. Some also believe it to be the day Shiva married the goddess Parvathi.
Maha Shivratri is considered one of the most auspicious nights in the calendar year when observers believe they can be blessed with diving cosmic energies. It also signifies the triumph of light over dark.
When is Maha Shivratri?
Maha Shivratri is celebrated on the 13th night of Phalguna, the 12th month in the Hindu calendar, which corresponds to around February/March in the Gregorian calendar. While the exact date changes every year, this year it falls on February 26.
How is it celebrated?
In India, celebrations take on many forms depending on the region. While the main event at night is usually a solemn one, when devotees stay up all night praying and meditating, the days leading up to it are often filled with raucous religious processions and dances. Devotees throng to temples dedicated to Shiva to offer their prayers, some dressed as the deity and his many embodiments, including his 10-arm form.
In southern India, some devotees take part in marathon processions, visiting multiple Shiva temples on foot. Maha Shivratri is an official holiday in Nepal, but it is not recognised as such in India.
Why is Maha Shivratri more significant this year?
This year, Maha Shivratri falls on the last day of the Maha Kumbh Mela, a Hindu religious gathering that occurs every 12 years. Touted as one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, millions of Hindus have been gathering for the past three weeks at Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, to bathe and perform rituals at the confluence of three holy rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
Indian authorities earlier said more than 400 million people, including tourists, were expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela this year. A vast ground spread over 40 square kilometres along the banks of the rivers has been converted into a sprawling tent city equipped with about 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 restrooms. Divided into 25 sections, the tent city also has housing, roads, electricity, water, communication towers and 11 hospitals.
Traditionally, Kumbh Melas are held every three years on dates prescribed by astrology and cycle between four riverbank pilgrimage sites – Prayagraj, Haridwar (along the river Ganges), Nashik (along the river Godavari) and Ujjain (along the river Shipra).
The most auspicious of these occurs in cycles of 12 years and is called the Maha Kumbh Mela (“maha” meaning “great” in Hindi) and is only held in Prayagraj.
