What Maha Shivaratri is

The great night of Shiva, kept with fasting and an all-night vigil on the fourteenth night of the dark fortnight of Phalguna.

Unlike most Hindu festivals it is nocturnal and largely without celebration — the observance is the vigil itself.

When it falls, and why the date moves

The countdown at the top of this page is live, and the date beneath it is the next occurrence. The date comes from a lunisolar calendar, which follows the moon but adds a leap month every few years to stay in step with the seasons. That is why it drifts earlier for two or three years and then jumps back.

It is grouped here under Hindu, alongside the other observances that share its calendar.

What is coming up next

Once this date passes, the countdown moves straight on to the next occurrence — you do not need a different page for next year. See the full list of upcoming events, or use the countdown timer for a date of your own.

Where to go next

This maha shivaratri countdown has its own page, so the link keeps working next year as well as this one. If you came here wondering what time it is somewhere rather than how long is left, world clock and time zones has the current time in every country and city.

• event countdowns — live countdowns to holidays and festivals worldwide
• countdown timer — count down from any length you set
• World Clock — pick a country or city and read its clock, offset and daylight saving rules
• time zone converter — turn a time in one place into the same instant in another
• world clock time — the current time in every country, territory and US state