Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honor of Lord Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs a celestial dance called tandava. Each month of the lunar-solar Hindu calendar has a Shivaratri on the day before the new moon. there is. But once a year, at the end of winter and before the arrival of summer (February or March), this night is called ‘Maha Shivaratri’, or ‘The Great Night of Shiva’. This day falls in the month of Falguna in the North Indian Hindu calendar and in the month of Maga in the South Indian Hindu calendar.

Significance of Maha Shivaratri :

Mahashivaratri festival is very important in Hinduism. According to the scriptures, the ceremonial worship of Lord Shiva on the Shivratri festival, which falls on the 14th day of his fortnight in the dark of Falgun’s moon, pleases Lord Shiva the most. This fact is said to have been explained by Lord Shiva himself when his consort, Parvati, asked which ritual his devotees liked most. To this day, devotees of Lord Shiva perform ritual worship of Shivatri with great care and devotion. They fast day and night and take a sacred bath with honey, milk and water in the Shiva Linga.
Hindus consider worshiping Lord Shiva at Shivaratri very auspicious. This is because they worship Lord Shiva with devotion and sincerity is believed to forgive adherents of past sins. The devotee reaches Lord Shankar’s residence and lives there happily. He is also freed from the cycle of birth and death and attains moksha or salvation. The Maha Shivratri festival is also considered a very important festival for women. Married and unmarried women diligently observe and perform Shiva Puja to appease Goddess Parvati who bestows marital bliss and a long and prosperous marriage.
Unmarried women also pray for husbands like Lord Shiva, who is considered an ideal husband.