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On February 15, 2026, Hindus celebrate Maha Shivratri, one of the most sacred festivals in India
In 2026, Maha Shivratri is celebrated on the night of 15 to 16 February. The date of Maha Shivratri is calculated according to the Indian calendar, which is based primarily on the phases of the moon. Unlike most Hindu festivals, which are celebrated during the day, Maha Shivratri is celebrated at night.
Sivaratri Celbrations in Kotappakonda. Photo: Pavuluri Satishbabu / Wikimedia
Maha Shivratri (Hindi) or Maha Shivaratri (Sanskrit), lit. "The Great Night of Shiva", celebrates both the marriage of Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati, daughter of the guardian deity of the Himalayas, and also the performance by Lord Shiva of the cosmic dance called Tāṇḍava, also known as Tāṇḍava Natyam, a divine, ritual dance of creation, preservation and destruction of the Universe.
It is also believed that on this particular day, Shiva gulped the deadly poison Halahala produced during the Samudra Manthana, the primeval churning of the ocean, and held it in his neck to protect the Universe. As a result, his neck was bruised and turned dark blue, and for this reason Shiva is also called Nilakantha, (lit. "blue neck").
The festival symbolizes the overcoming of darkness and ignorance, and is celebrated by reciting the mantra "Om Namah Shivaya", the hymns "Shiva Chalisa" and "Shiva Stotram", by fasting, by meditating on the Lord Shiva, and by offering fruits, leaves, sweets, water and milk to the symbols of Shiva.
Some devotees stay awake throughout this night. Others visit one of the Shiva temples or go on a pilgrimage to the Jyotirlingams. The festival is believed to have originated in 5th century BCE.
Maha Shivaratri is celebrated in major Shiva temples throughout India and also in Nepal, Pakistan and Indonesia.
Maha Shivaratri in India is celebrated with immense grandeur, particularly at major Jyotirlinga sites like Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain) and Somnath (Gujarat).
Other key sites include Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), Ramanathaswamy Temple (Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu), Lingaraj Temple Bhubaneswar (Orissa), Arunachalesvara Temple in Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu), Kotappakonda (Andhra Pradesh), Dharmasthala, Murudeshwara and Gokarna (Karnataka).
On the occasion of Maha Shivaratri, annual dance festivals are also held at major Hindu temples such as at Konark, Khajuraho, Pattadakal, Modhera and Chidambaram.
In Kashmir, the festival is called "Herath", a word derived from the Sanskrit word "Hararatri", meaning the "Night of Hara" (another name of Shiva). Here, the festival lasts longer and begins on the thirteenth of the dark half of the month and not on the fourteenth as in the rest of India.
Maha Shivaratri is a national holiday in Nepal and celebrated widely in temples all over the country, especially in the Pashupatinath temple.
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