Shivaraatri commemorates the wedding night of Lord Shiva to his consort Parvati. Thus it is a festival particularly marked by married couples. During this night Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance, first performed the Dance of Bliss – the “Anandatandava”. This dance portrays the cyclical nature of the universe reflected by the cyclical nature of daily life as experienced by individual souls. The Linga Purana also indicates that on this day Shiva took the form of the Lingam, a column of light with no beginning and no end to signify His infinite existence. [source]
Join NTHM for our annual Shivaraatri celebrations, beginning at 6:30 PM on Friday night. While we wish you can stay with us for the full service, you are free to come and go as your schedule permits.
Schedule / Order of Events
Shiva Pooja & Lingam Abhishek #1 + kirtan & bhajans
Havan
Pravachan
Lingam Abhishek Offerings #2, #3, and #4 + kirtan and bhajans
Shiva Aarti @ midnight
Devotees can bring the following to participate in the pooja/offerings:
Flowers / petals (white)
Dakshina (coins, $1s for each murti)
Prasad (for Shivaji the following is preferred: sugar cane, batasha, sugar candy, mohanbhog).
All Abhishek supplies have been donated for 2024.