Maha Shivaratri Festival is a national festival of India and it is celebrated throughout the country. It is popularly known as the night of Lord Shiva and is celebrated on the 13th or the 14th night of the new moon during Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Phalgun. It usually falls in February-March. This year this important festival, according to the calendar, falls on the 23rd of February.

In Andhra Pradesh, devotees of Lord Shiva throng Sri Kalahasteshwara Temple at Kalahasti and the Bharamarambha Malikarjunaswamy Temple at Srisailam. In Kerala, Shivaratri is celebrated with great pomp in Shiva Temple at Aluva, on the bank of River Periyar. In Tamil Nadu, Shivaratri celebration is famous in Chidambaram temple and Rameshwaram Temple. In Karnataka, the Srikanteshwara temple in Nanjangud and Someshwara Temple in Bangalore attract devotees in large numbers.

It is believed that Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvathi on Maha Shivaratri day. Another belief is that Lord Shiva performed Thandava Nrithya on the Maha Shivaratri night. The devotees of Lord Shiva throughout the country observe fast and after the customary bath to Shiva linga, they offer fruits, flowers and bel leaves to Lord Shiva and keep awake in the night without sleep. They believe that ritual worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri liberates them of past sins and will be blessed with Moksha. Wearing new clothes they go to Shiva temples and perform poojas and chant prayers in praise of Lord Shiva, saying 'Om Namah Shivaya' and circumambulate the temple three or seven times.

It is believed that those who utter the names of Shiva during Shivratri, with perfect devotion and concentration, is freed from all sins. Lord Shiva is known by several names such as Shankar, Mahadevan, Neelakanth, Kailaseshwar, Kailashpathi and Nataraj. It is believed that Goddess Parvati performed tapas and prayers on the auspicious moonless night of Shivaratri to ward off any evil that may befall her husband. Hence, on this auspicious day, the married women pray for the health and happiness of their husbands and the unmarried girls pray for getting good husband like Shiva, the ideal husband of Parvathi.