Yesterday, Wednesday, 30 Dec 2020 was Thiruvathirai, the day of the Thiruvathirai star in the Tamil month of Margazhi (which falls in November-December).
It is celebrated as Thiruvathirai or Thiruvathira or Arudra Darisanam festival in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Thiruvathirai (Arudra) in Tamil means "sacred big wave".
On this day, Lord Shiva, in the form of Lord Nataraja, performed the cosmic dance, representing the continuous cycle of creation and destruction. Arudra (Thiruvathirai in Tamil) signifies the golden red flame and Shiva performs the dance in the form of this red-flamed light. Lord Shiva accepts Goddess Parvathi as his equal partner and together they form Ardhanaareeswara.
The cosmic dance of Lord Shiva in the Nataraha form represents five activities – Creation, Protection, Destruction, Embodiment and Release. In essence, it represents the continuous cycle of creation and destruction. This 'cosmic dance' takes place in every particle and is the source of all energy. Arudra Darisanam or Darshan celebrates this ecstatic dance of Lord Shiva.
Neivedhyam (food for God) made for Lord Nataraja on this day is Thiruvathirai Kali (திருவாதிரை களி) with Ezhu Kari Koottu (ஏழு கரி கூட்டு) or Thaalagam (தாளகம்).
The Kali is made with broken rice, jaggery, moong dal, cardamom, nuts and grated coconut. Mildly sweet, it is served with the Ezhu Kari Koottu, a kind of thick, spicy vegetable stew made with at least seven vegetables. This special sweet-spicy combination is unique to this festival.
(with help from Wikipedia and other sources from the internet)
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