MAHA SHIVRATRI 2023 MAHA SHIVRATRI 2023 From the Editor's Desk: Maha Shivratri 2023 “ Date, Puja, Story, Celebrations & More” India is a land of many religious and cultural festivals. Also, you will find diversities in these festivals in different regions in India. Yet, some festivals hold the same value throughout the country. Maha Shivratri is one of them. It is one of the most famous festivals in India. Also, it has great significance in the lives of Indian people. Find below all the details about the Maha Shivratri celebration in India. What is Maha Shivratri? The Maha Shivratri is a grand festival in India. It falls in the Indian month Phalgun. Shivaratri’s date may fall in February or March. The people of India celebrate this one-day festival to worship Lord Shiva. So, temples of Lord Shiva attract many pilgrims during The Maha Shivratri celebration in India. Shivratri Bhajan, fasting, and Shivratri Puja mark the day. Besides the Maha Shivratri, there is another Shivratri known as Shravana Shivratri that falls in the rainy season. But, the rituals of Maha Shivratri differ from any other pujas of Lord Shiva. Moreover, the Hindus of most of the states in India celebrate Maha Shivratri. So, this festival holds more traditional values than many other festivals in India. What is the story of the Maha Shivratri? Indian mythologies tell many stories about the Maha Shivratri celebration. Most Hindus believe that Lord Shiva got married to Goddess Parvati on this day. Yet, there are many other stories related to Shivratri. As per one story, the great sage once cursed Lord Indra and other gods. So, all the other gods including Indra lost their powers. Then Lord Vishnu suggested they go for Samudra Manthan or churning of the oceans. During this Samudra Manthan, a threatening poison emerged. This poison was so powerful that it could demolish the whole world. So, Lord Shiva drank this poison and saved the world. His throat turned blue after drinking this poison. So, he is also known as Neelkantha (someone with a blue throat). Shivratri celebration occurs to celebrate this event. Shivratri Celebration has great significance in the lives of the Hindus. They consider this day to be one of the purest days of the year. Also, they perform many rituals on this special day of Shivratri. Men and women keep a fast the whole day. Young girls keep fast for getting a husband like Shiva. Married women keep fast for the well-being of their husbands and children. They pour water and milk on Shiva Linga at night. Also, they offer flowers and sweets to the Linga. So, you can witness giant crowds at all the temples of Shiva in India on The Maha Shivaratri. a s vat i r S a r di When is the Maha Shivratri of 2023? In The Maha Shivratri in 2023 is on the 18th of February. Editor | A TO Z INDIA [email protected]; +91-7550160116 A TO Z INDIA FEBRUARY 2023 PAGE 4