Maha Shivratri
Shiva is the energy believed to give life to all living things. Thanks to Shiva, we can breathe, eat, walk, and go about our daily lives. The 2023 Maha Shivratri celebration will be held on 18th February this year. This energy not only moves living things but also exists as energy in inanimate objects.
Thus Shiva sets existence in motion. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we forget the source of our energy – what drives us. Mahashivratri is a festival that reminds us of our consciousness and brings it to the foundation of our being.
Shiva
Women’s used to keep fast on this day deemed auspicious for married couples and for unmarried as well to aspire to a good husband usually unmarried girls used to keep fast on this day.
But why is Shivratri celebrated? There are
multiple stories of Maha Shivaratri surrounding this occasion.
History
Purana contains many stories and legends that explain the origin of this festival. According to one, during Samudra Mantan a pot of poison appeared from the sea. This frightened the gods and demons, as the poison could destroy the whole world, and they ran to Shiva for help. To protect the world from its evil influence, Shiva drank a deadly poison, which he kept in his throat rather than swallowing it.
This made him blue-throated and he was given the name Neelakantha with blue throat. Shivaratri celebrates this event in which Shiva saved the world. Purana contains many stories and legends that explain the origin of this festival.
One of them is that Lord Shiva married Parvati on that day. So it’s a celebration of that sacred union.
Legend
Another is that when the gods and demons stirred the sea to attract Ambrosia at the bottom of the sea, a pot filled with poison appeared. helped. The poison lodged in the lord’s throat, turning it blue. Shivratri is celebrated to honor the savior of the world.
According to another legend, when her goddess Ganga descended from heaven in all her might, Lord Shiva caught her by her matted hair and released her to earth in several streams. This prevented destruction on Earth. As a tribute to him, we bathe in Shivalinga on this auspicious night. It is also believed that the formless god Sadashiv appeared at midnight Therefore, people stay up all night and pray to God.
Customs
Maha Shivaratri Festival Various traditions and customs associated with the Shivaratri festival are adhered to by the worshipers of Lord Shiva. Devotees strictly fast in honor of Lord Shiva, many eat fruit and milk, but some do not drink a drop of water. Devotees firmly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri frees a person from sin and frees him from the cycle of life and death. Shivaratri is considered especially beneficial for women.
A married woman prays for the well-being of her husband, while an unmarried woman prays for a husband like Lord Shiva, who is considered an ideal husband. On the occasion of the Shivratri festival, devotees wake up early and take a ceremonial bath, preferably in the Ganges River. After donning brand-new clothes, devotees visit the nearest Shiva temple and give Shiva Lingam a ritual bath of milk, honey, and water.
Celebrations
At Shivaratri, worship of Lord Shiva takes place day and night. Every three hours, the priest chants ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ and rings the temple bells while performing the Shiva Lingam ritual by soaking in milk, yogurt, honey, ghee, sugar, and water.
A night vigil or Jagran is also observed at Shiva temples, with many devotees spending the night singing hymns and devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva. Only the next morning, devotees break the fast by participating in Prasad dedicated to the deity.
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