Yesterday was a major holiday in Nepal and India. Shivaratri is a holiday in the name of Lord Shiva. This is a very sacred holiday, as Lord Shiva is a very highly reveered God, or Mahadev, in the Hindu religion.
Shiva is highly celebrated because it is said that he, upon request of the Gods, drank a poison which came from the ocean as the Goddess' and Demons were searching for the Nectar of Immortality. This poison could not be discarded, and someone had to drink it before it destroyed the entire universe. Thus, when called upon, Shiva came up calmly and drank the poison to ensure the safety or his family, the universe, and so they could continue to search for the Nectar of Immortality. When he drank it, the Goddess Paravati strangled his neck to keep the poison from going to his stomach, where the Universe was said to be. The terrible poison stayed in his throat and turned it blue, hence his name, Neelkanth-- or Blue Neck.
Shiva is a hero, a protector of the Universe, and the epitomy of a decent human being in the eyes of Hindus everywhere.
The day is usually celebrated by fasting until nighttime, and then keeping an all night vigil in his honor. The babas, or spiritual vagabonds, you may see throughout Nepal and India--often wearing orange and having long dreds, can be seen in the thousands in Pashupati
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