All over India, Maha Shivratri occurs on the 14th night of the new moon during the dark half of the month of Phalguna. On a moonless night in February every year, occurs the night of Shiva, the destroyer. This is the night when He is said to have performed the Tandava or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction. This is an important day for the devotees of Shiva who stay awake throughout the night, praying to him. In all major centers of Shiva worship,Shivratri, also called Maha Shivratri,is a grand occasion.

From the very early morning,Shiva temples are filled with devotees, mostly women, who come to perform the traditional worship of the Shivalinga. All through the day, devotees abstain from eating food and break their fast only the next morning, after the nightlong worship. On the day of Shivratri, the lingam is bathed with the five sacred offerings of a cow, called the panchagavya - milk, sour milk, urine, butter and dung. Thereafter the five foods of immortality - milk, clarified butter, curd, honey and sugar - are placed before the lingam. Dhatura and jati, though poisonous fruits, are believed to be sacred to Shiva and thus offered at his temple. Eleven is considered to be the sacred number of the Lord. Devotees keep a fast (vrat) on Shivratri and observe strict rules, for vardan (boon). Special celebrationa are held at important Shiva temples at Chidambaram, Kalahasi Khajuraho and Varanasi. Worship of Shiva is to release the worshipper from the cycle of birth and rebirth. In Kashmir, the festival is held for 15 days; the thirteenth day is observed as Herath, a day of fast followed by a family feast. During Maha Shivratri, Hindus observe a strict fast. Some don't even take water. They maintain an all-night vigil during which they worship the Shiva lingam (phallic symbol), washing it often with milk, ghee (clarified butter), honey and other goods that grant immortality. Throughout the night, they chant the mantra "Om Namah Shivaya," and they offer sacred bael leaves to the lingam. Those who utter the name(s) of Shiva during this holiday are freed from all of their sins. As a result, they will reach Shiva's abode and will live there happily—completely liberated from the wheel of births and deaths. So on Maha Shivratri, unmarried girls pray to find eligible husbands. And those already married pray for ongoing bliss and a long married life.