Shivaratri Festival Celebration

We have recently celebrated a festival called Maha Shivaratri. This festival is one of the religious festivals in the Hindu religion. The festival is celebrated every February/March. This festival is mainly worship for Lord Shiva. All the Hindu people take part to celebrate the festival. Hindu people who are very traditional will fast on this day. In the evening a big bon-fire is lit in different places of every community. When the bon-fire starts, people who are fasting offer Cow’s milk over the big bon-fire and have food. Another interesting part of this festival is Sugarcane. All the people hold sugarcane in their hand and when the big fire burns, the sugarcane is put into the fire (about 2 feet of sugarcane is insert into the fire) after getting hot and nearly melting, the sugarcane is taken out and hit against a big stone. This process causes a loud noise and people enjoy this noise.This kind of noise comes one after another. All the young people holding sugarcane for making big sound by striking hot sugarcane to the stone. Another interesting part of the festival is that people are allowed to smoke marijuana. Government and officials can do nothing if someone is smoking marijuana (GAJA) in that very day. It is believed in Hindu epic that Marijuana is the loveliest thing of Lord Shiva. So, to get Shiva’s Love on this special day many people smoke the drug. Groups of people sing religious traditional song of Lord Shiva all night long around the bon-fire and temples. Our children also holding a sugarcane and went to the big bon-fire nearby our home, some big children made big sound by striking hot sugarcane in the stone. Children always enjoy this festival. This time little shower rain fall during the bon-fine time (7:00 pm to 10:00 pm) then the rain stopped and religions people starting singing religious song in around the bon fire. Every year in the Pashupatinath Temple at Kathmandu, thousands of Yogi comes to celebrating this festival.