Maha Shivaratri - Shivaratri - India
An annual Hindu festival, Maha Shivaratri gives reverence to the Lord Shiva god. The festival is also known as 'Great Night of Shiva' or 'Shivaratri.'
Celebration\ Observance
The festival involves an all-day and night fasting with offerings of Bael leaves to Shiva. It is a gazetted holiday in which most people have the day off. Government and businesses are closed.
History
The holiday represents the day Shiva married his wife, Parvati, representing a divine marriage.