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On
the 14th night of the dark half of Magh occurs the festival of Mahashivaratri.
This is an important fast for devotees of the god Shiva, who stay
awake throughout the night, spending time in prayer. The name of
this festival literally means 'the great night of Shiva’. Over the
years man has sought to link mythological tales to the celebration
of particular days and times pertinent to each specific deity. The
legend concerning this festival is memorable. It is said that a
poor tribal man, who was a great devotee of Shiva, once went into
the deep forest to collect firewood. As the shadows lengthened,
he lost his way and could not get back home. As the mantle of darkness
fell on the jungle, he could hear the growls of tigers and was extremely
frightened. In the darkness, he blindly climbed up the nearest tree
- which happened to be a Bel tree - and sought safety and shelter
in its branch till dawn.
All night he could hear wild animals and had not the courage to
leave his refuge. Perched amongst the branches, it was natural that
he should doze off, fatigued by the events of the day. In order
to stay awake, he plucked one sprig of leaves at a time from the
tree and dropped it down, chanting the name of Shiva.
By the time the first rays of dawn lit up the horizon, he had dropped
thousands of leaves on a Shiva linga which he had not noticed in
the darkness. This unwitting all-night worship pleased Shiva, by
whose grace the tiger went away and the tribal was rewarded with
divine bliss. Ever since that day, say the Puranas, the story of
the tribal is recited every year on the night of Mahashivaratri.
On this particular occasion Shiva is offered special food made from
the fruits of the season, root vegetables and coconuts, during ritual
worship. Having observed the requirements of the all-night fast,
devotees eat the prasad offered to Shiva.
On
the 14th night of the dark half of Magh occurs the festival of Mahashivaratri.
This is an important fast for devotees of the god Shiva, who stay
awake throughout the night, spending time in prayer. The name of
this festival literally means 'the great night of Shiva’. Over the
years man has sought to link mythological tales to the celebration
of particular days and times pertinent to each specific deity. The
legend concerning this festival is memorable. It is said that a
poor tribal man, who was a great devotee of Shiva, once went into
the deep forest to collect firewood. As the shadows lengthened,
he lost his way and could not get back home. As the mantle of darkness
fell on the jungle, he could hear the growls of tigers and was extremely
frightened. In the darkness, he blindly climbed up the nearest tree
- which happened to be a Bel tree - and sought safety and shelter
in its branch till dawn. 
