Maha Shivaratri 2027

About Maha Shivaratri

Maha Shivaratri, the Great Night of Shiva, is the Hindu night of fasting and vigil held on the fourteenth day of the waning moon in late winter, and in 2027 it falls on Saturday, 6 March 2027. Devotees fast through the day, bathe the Shiva linga with water, milk and bilva leaves, and many stay awake all night, from temple crowds at Kashi and Tiruvannamalai to Kashmiri Pandit homes keeping Herath.

There is a Shivaratri every month. The night before each new moon, the fourteenth of the dark fortnight, is Masik Shivaratri, and devout Shaivas fast on all twelve. Maha Shivaratri is the one in late winter that the whole tradition treats as the great one, and it is the only one most households mark.

How is the Maha Shivaratri date decided?

Maha Shivaratri falls on Chaturdashi, the fourteenth lunar day, of Krishna Paksha, the waning fortnight, in February or March. North Indian calendars, which end the month at the full moon, call the month Phalguna. Calendars in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the South, which end the month at the new moon, call the same fortnight Magha. The labels differ; the night is the same everywhere.

Because a tithi starts and ends at any hour, Chaturdashi often straddles two calendar days. Panchangs settle it by looking at Nishita Kaal, the short window around midnight that Drik Panchang describes as the time Shiva appeared in the form of the linga. The festival is kept on the night when Chaturdashi is running at Nishita. That is why the date can differ by a day between India and the Americas.

What stories are told about Maha Shivaratri?

Hindu tradition attaches several stories to Maha Shivaratri, and different families lead with different ones. None of them is the single official reason.

• The wedding of Shiva and Parvati. Many households keep the night as the anniversary of their marriage, the story that also links it to Parvati's long devotion.
• The column of fire. The Linga Purana tells of Brahma and Vishnu arguing over who was greater, until an endless pillar of light appeared between them. Neither could find its top or its base, and Shiva emerged from it. This is the Lingodbhava, the origin of the linga, and the reason midnight matters.
• The poison. When gods and demons churned the ocean, a poison called Halahala rose first. Shiva drank it and held it in his throat, which turned blue, giving him the name Nilakantha, the blue-throated one.
• The hunter. In a story told in the Shiva Purana, a hunter named Lubdhaka or Gurudruha spends a night up a bilva tree to escape a wild animal. Awake and hungry, he drops leaves onto a linga below without knowing it is there, and is rewarded as if he had kept the full vrat. It is the tradition's way of saying that the fast and the vigil count even when done imperfectly.

How is the Maha Shivaratri night kept?

Maha Shivaratri is kept with a day-long fast, worship of the linga through the night, and a vigil called jagaran. Temples stay open all night, and the four quarters of the night, the prahars, each get their own puja.

1. Morning bath and sankalpThe devotee bathes early and makes a formal resolve to keep the fast and the night vigil.
2. The fastSome go without food and water; most eat fruit, milk and fasting foods. Grains, ordinary salt, onion and garlic are usually avoided, and rock salt is used instead.
3. AbhishekThe linga is bathed with water, milk, curd, honey and ghee, and offered bilva leaves and flowers. Bilva is the most common offering of all.
4. Four prahar pujasThe night is split into four quarters and a puja is done in each. Many people manage one or two; the devout do all four.
5. Nishita KaalThe midnight window is treated as the most important moment of the night.
6. ParanaThe fast is broken the next morning, after sunrise and before Chaturdashi ends.

At home, a family without a temple nearby often keeps a small linga or a picture of Shiva, chants "Om Namah Shivaya" and reads or listens to the Shiva Purana. Lines outside the big Shiva temples, at Kashi Vishwanath, Somnath or Srisailam, start well before dawn.

How do different regions mark Maha Shivaratri?

Herath deserves a closer look because it is often missed. For Kashmiri Pandits the festival runs for about three weeks around Shivaratri and has its own greetings: "Herath Mubarak", or "Herath poshte", a wish for peace and happiness.

Wishing someone on Maha Shivaratri

Keep the tone steady. A person who is fasting and staying awake does not need a long message; they need a kind one.

Chaturdashi

The fourteenth lunar day of a fortnight.

Nishita Kaal

The short window around midnight when Shivaratri puja is most important.

Prahar

A quarter of the night; there are four pujas, one in each.

Abhishek

Ritual bathing of the linga with water, milk and other offerings.

Bilva

The bael tree, whose three-part leaf is the main offering to Shiva.

Parana

Breaking the fast, done the next morning within the tithi.

Herath

The Kashmiri Pandit name for Shivaratri.

About two weeks after Maha Shivaratri comes the full moon of Holi. In late summer, women keep Hartalika Teej for Parvati's devotion to Shiva. For other dates, see the 2027 calendar.

How to wish someone on Maha Shivaratri

Maha Shivaratri is a night of restraint, not a party, so the best wishes are calm and devotional. Mention the fast, the night vigil or a temple the person is visiting, and wish them strength to see it through. "Om Namah Shivaya" or "Har Har Mahadev" suit devout family; a simple "wishing you a peaceful Shivaratri" works for colleagues. For Kashmiri Pandit friends, "Herath Mubarak" shows you know their name for the day.

Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.

Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.

When is Maha Shivaratri in 2026 and 2027?

Maha Shivaratri is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 19 days later than in 2026.

Frequently asked questions