மகாசிவராத்திரி

Maha Shivaratri (மகாசிவராத்திரி) is the night Shiva is kept awake — Magha Krishna Chaturdashi, falling in Maasi. Tamil Shaiva houses (Iyer, Shaiva Siddhanta, many Chettiar and Nadar Hindu homes) fast, bathe the lingam with water, milk, and vilvam (bilva) leaves, and sit through four kala pujas. The Tamil mark is the recitation — Thevaram, Thiruvasagam, and the names of the Pancha Bhoota sthalams — not a generic "Shiva party." Tiruvannamalai keeps girivalam around Arunachala. Chidambaram keeps Nataraja. This page is the Tamil night. The Gujarati Mahashivratri row is a counterpart. In 2026 the night is Saturday–Sunday, 15 February.

Observances

1. Vilvam abhishekam

   Water, milk, and vilvam leaves on the lingam, in four watches if the house can sit the night.

   If the whole night is not possible, keep the evening kala together and put the children to bed after the first aarti.

2. Thevaram or Thiruvasagam

   Tamil Shaiva verse through the night — not only Sanskrit stotra.

   Play a recorded Thevaram if no one in the house can recite. Name the verse.

Getting ready

• Find vilvam and a lingam or Shiva image; decide full night or evening kala

  home

  2d

• Fast; four kala or one evening abhishekam; Thevaram; break the fast at dawn

  ritual

  0d

In the US

US Shiva and Murugan temples hold all-night programs; many families do one evening kala at home and join the temple for the last watch. Frozen vilvam is sold at South Indian grocers; a printed leaf is a last resort — say so. Girivalam is walked at Tiruvannamalai; in the US some houses walk a quiet block after dinner and name Arunachala.