Maha Shivaratri:
Nepal is only Hindu Kingdom in the World. The festival Maha Shivaratri is only celebrated by Hindus. That's why it is one of the biggest festival oh Hindus. Shiva the destroyer of evil is among the most praised and worshiped of all the gods in the Hindu religion. Hindus all over the world known him through the different names and forms. The country has thousand of idols and monuments which glorify his name, the most common one being the Shiva Linga or the phallus of Shiva that represent him. Hindus regards as the symbol of creation, the beginning of everything.
Maha shivaratri is one of the biggest festival oh Hindus. It is celebrated in the occasion of marriage of god shiva and pravati. It is known as great night of god shiva. According to the Hindus calender the festival Maha Shivatri fall on 13th night/14 days of krishna paksha in magh month. It is celebrated all over the Nepal and India. In Nepal millions of Hindus attended together from the different parts of the country to worship god Shiva in Pashupatinath Temple. Pilgrims and yogis (holy men), from all over Southeast Asia come to Kathmandu weeks before the festival. On this day Hindus fast through out the day. At dawn, worshipers take a holy bath in the river and go to the temple to worship.
One of the most interesting aspects of Shiva Ratri is that on this day devotees and non-devotees smoke intoxicating substances such as marijuana and bhang. It is the only day in the annual calender when marijuana is legal. Many people takes it in the belief that it pleases Lord Shiva for he too is said to be fond of it. The intoxicating substances marijuana is taken as prasad.
Thus on Shiva Ratri the temple of Pashupati Nath is filled with worshippers. Devotees are not distinguished as poor or rich but treated equally as Lord Shiva treats us all equally. Therefore the festival of Shiva Ratri shows the devotion and faith Nepalese have towards the Hindu religion.
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