Mahashivaratri is celebrated on 18 February in large parts of India and Nepal. Mahashivaratri means “the great night of Lord Shiva”.

Key facts!

• The date for Mahashivratri is chosen using the Hindu lunar calendar.
• It always falls on the 14th day (Chaturdashi day) of the new moon in the month of Phalguna (Magha).
• Devotees stay up all night long to worship Lord Shiva.
• They hold a fast and eat after midnight.
• They chant the famous mantras “ॐ नमः शिवाय” (Om Namah Shivaya) and “महामतृ युंजय य ” (Maha mrityun-jaya). 

The story behind Mahashivaratri

• There are many stories about Mahashivaratri.
• One states this marks the day Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati got married.
• Another states this was the day Lord Shiva performed the Tandava dance.
• Yet another story states this is the day he became Neelkanth.
• The Neelkanth story explains what happened during Samudra Manthan (churning of the oceans).
• The gods and demons worked together to churn the ocean to find the nectar that would give them immortality (freedom from death).
• But before that nectar, many other things came out.
• One was the deadly poison Halahala. 
• This poison could destroy the whole world.
• They went to Lord Shiva for help.
• To save the universe, Shiva drank the poison, but he didn’t swallow it.
• He just held it in his throat.
• This made his throat turn blue, and he was thereafter known as Neelkanth, meaning the blue-throated one!

Similar Stories

• Akshaya Tritiya!
• Krishna Janmashtami!

Watch a video

Youtube user “Puntoon Folktales” shares the mythological folktale behind Mahashivratri.