"MAHASHIVARATHRI" the hindu religious day

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MAHASHIVARATHRI

In the Indian culture, at one time, there used to be 365 festivals in a year. In other words, they just needed an excuse to celebrate everyday of the year. These 365 festivals were ascribed to different reasons, and for different purposes of life. There were to celebrate various historical events, victories, or certain situations in life like harvesting, planting, and reaping. For every situation there was a festival. But Mahashivarathri is of a different significance.

"Mahashivaratri marks the night when Lord Shiva performed the ′Tandava′. It is also believed that on this day Lord Shiva was married to Parvati Ma. On this day Shiva devotees observe fast and offer fruits, flowers and bel leaves on Shiva Linga"

The fourteenth day of every lunar month or the day before the new moon is known as Shivarathri. Among all the twelve Shivarathris that occur in a calendar year, Mahashivarathri, the one that occurs in February-March is of the most spiritual significance. On this night, the northern hemisphere of the planet is positioned in such a way that there is a natural upsurge of energy in a human being. This is a day when nature is pushing one towards one’s spiritual peak. It is to make use of this, that in this tradition, we establish a certain festival which is night-long. One of the fundamentals of this night-long festival is to ensure that – to allow this natural upsurge of energies to find their way – you remain with your spine vertical – you stay awake.

Mahashivarathri is very significant for people who are on the spiritual path. It is also very significant for people who are in family situations, and also for the ambitious in the world. People who live in family situations observe Mahashivarathri as Shiva’s wedding anniversary. Those with worldly ambitions see that day as the day Shiva conquered all his enemies.

But, for the ascetics, it is the day he became one with Mount Kailash. He became like a mountain – absolutely still. In the yogic tradition, Shiva is not worshipped as a God, but considered as the Adi Guru, the first Guru from whom the knowledge originated. After many millennia in meditation, one day he became absolutely still. That day is Mahashivarathri. All movement in him stopped and he became utterly still, so ascetics see Mahashivarathri as the night of stillness.

Legends apart, why this day and night are held in such importance in the yogic traditions is because of the possibilities it presents to a spiritual seeker. Modern science has gone through many phases and arrived at a point today where they are out to prove to you that everything that you know as life, everything that you know as matter and existence, everything that you know as the cosmos and galaxies, is just one energy which manifests itself in millions of ways.

This scientific fact is an experiential reality in every yogi. The word “yogi” means one who has realized the oneness of the Existence. When I say “yoga,” I am not referring to any one particular practice or system. All longing to know the unbounded, all longing to know the oneness in the Existence is yoga. The night of Mahashivarathri offers a person an opportunity to experience this.

International MahaShivaratri Fair

The Mandi festival or fair is particularly famous as this special fair transforms the town of Mandi into a venue of grand celebration, where all Gods and Goddesses of the Mandi district, said to number more than 200, assemble, starting on the day of Shivaratri. The town of Mandi, located on the banks of the Beas River, is popularly known as the "Cathedral of Temples" and is one of the oldest towns of Himachal Pradesh, with about 81 temples of different Gods and Goddesses in its periphery. There are several legends linked to the celebration of Shivaratri. The festival is centered around the protector deity of Mandi "Mado Rai" (Lord Vishnu) and Lord Shiva of the Bhootnath temple in Mandi. This festival is celebrated with great fervor in Mandi and it is common to see many foreign tourists throng to this region, especially to partake in the Maha Shivaratri celebrations in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

Shivarathri, is the darkest day of the month. Celebrating Shivarathri on a monthly basis, and the particular day, Mahashivarathri, almost seems like celebration of darkness. Any logical mind would resist darkness and naturally opt for light. But the word “Shiva” literally means “that which is not.” “That which is,” is existence and creation. “That which is not” is Shiva. “That which is not” means, if you open your eyes and look around, if your vision is for small things, you will see lots of creation. If your vision is really looking for big things, you will see the biggest presence in the existence is a vast emptiness. A few spots which we call galaxies are generally much noticed, but the vast emptiness that holds them does not come into everybody’s notice. This vastness, this unbounded emptiness, is what is referred to as Shiva. Today, modern science also proves that everything comes from nothing and goes back to nothing. It is in this context that Shiva, the vast emptiness or nothingness, is referred to as the great lord, or Mahadeva.

Every religion, every culture on this planet has always been talking about the omnipresent, all-pervading nature of the divine. If we look at it, the only thing that can be truly all-pervading, the only thing that can be everywhere is darkness, nothingness, or emptiness. Generally, when people are seeking well being, we talk of the divine as light. When people are no longer seeking well being, when they are looking beyond their life in terms of dissolving, if the object of their worship and their sadhana is dissolution, then we always refer to the divine as darkness.

Light is a brief happening in your mind. Light is not eternal, it is always a limited possibility because it happens and it ends. The greatest source of light that we know on this planet is the sun. Even the sun’s light, you could stop it with your hand and leave a shadow of darkness behind. 

But darkness is all-enveloping, everywhere. The immature minds in the world have always described darkness as the devil. But when you describe the divine as all-pervading, you are obviously referring to the divine as darkness, because only darkness is all-pervading. It is everywhere. It does not need any support from anything. Light always comes from a source that is burning itself out. It has a beginning and an end. It is always from a limited source. Darkness has no source. It is a source unto itself. It is all-pervading, everywhere, omnipresent. So when we say Shiva, it is this vast emptiness of existence. It is in the lap of this vast emptiness that all creation has happened. It is that lap of emptiness that we refer to as the Shiva.

In Indian culture, all the ancient prayers were not about saving yourself, protecting yourself or doing better in life. All the ancient prayers have always been “Oh lord, destroy me so that I can become like yourself.

So when we say Shivarathri, which is the darkest night of the month, it is an opportunity for one to dissolve their limitedness, to experience the unboundedness of the source of creation which is the seed in every human being. Mahashivarathri is an opportunity and a possibility to bring yourself to that experience of the vast emptiness within every human being, which is the source of all creation.

On the one hand, Shiva is known as the destroyer. On the other, he is known as the most compassionate. He is also known to be the greatest of the givers. The yogic lore is rife with many stories about Shiva’s compassion. The ways of expression of his compassion have been incredible and astonishing at the same time. So Mahashivarathri is a special night for receiving too.

It is our wish and blessing that you must not pass this night without knowing at least a moment of the vastness of this emptiness that we call as Shiva. Let this night not just be a night of wakefulness, let this night be a night of awakening for you

"MAHASHIVARATHRI" the hindu religious day

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MAHASHIVARATHRI

In the Indian culture, at one time, there used to be 365 festivals in a year. In other words, they just needed an excuse to celebrate everyday of the year. These 365 festivals were ascribed to different reasons, and for different purposes of life. There were to celebrate various historical events, victories, or certain situations in life like harvesting, planting, and reaping. For every situation there was a festival. But Mahashivarathri is of a different significance.

"Mahashivaratri marks the night when Lord Shiva performed the ′Tandava′. It is also believed that on this day Lord Shiva was married to Parvati Ma. On this day Shiva devotees observe fast and offer fruits, flowers and bel leaves on Shiva Linga"

The fourteenth day of every lunar month or the day before the new moon is known as Shivarathri. Among all the twelve Shivarathris that occur in a calendar year, Mahashivarathri, the one that occurs in February-March is of the most spiritual significance. On this night, the northern hemisphere of the planet is positioned in such a way that there is a natural upsurge of energy in a human being. This is a day when nature is pushing one towards one’s spiritual peak. It is to make use of this, that in this tradition, we establish a certain festival which is night-long. One of the fundamentals of this night-long festival is to ensure that – to allow this natural upsurge of energies to find their way – you remain with your spine vertical – you stay awake.

Mahashivarathri is very significant for people who are on the spiritual path. It is also very significant for people who are in family situations, and also for the ambitious in the world. People who live in family situations observe Mahashivarathri as Shiva’s wedding anniversary. Those with worldly ambitions see that day as the day Shiva conquered all his enemies.

But, for the ascetics, it is the day he became one with Mount Kailash. He became like a mountain – absolutely still. In the yogic tradition, Shiva is not worshipped as a God, but considered as the Adi Guru, the first Guru from whom the knowledge originated. After many millennia in meditation, one day he became absolutely still. That day is Mahashivarathri. All movement in him stopped and he became utterly still, so ascetics see Mahashivarathri as the night of stillness.

Legends apart, why this day and night are held in such importance in the yogic traditions is because of the possibilities it presents to a spiritual seeker. Modern science has gone through many phases and arrived at a point today where they are out to prove to you that everything that you know as life, everything that you know as matter and existence, everything that you know as the cosmos and galaxies, is just one energy which manifests itself in millions of ways.

This scientific fact is an experiential reality in every yogi. The word “yogi” means one who has realized the oneness of the Existence. When I say “yoga,” I am not referring to any one particular practice or system. All longing to know the unbounded, all longing to know the oneness in the Existence is yoga. The night of Mahashivarathri offers a person an opportunity to experience this.

International MahaShivaratri Fair

The Mandi festival or fair is particularly famous as this special fair transforms the town of Mandi into a venue of grand celebration, where all Gods and Goddesses of the Mandi district, said to number more than 200, assemble, starting on the day of Shivaratri. The town of Mandi, located on the banks of the Beas River, is popularly known as the "Cathedral of Temples" and is one of the oldest towns of Himachal Pradesh, with about 81 temples of different Gods and Goddesses in its periphery. There are several legends linked to the celebration of Shivaratri. The festival is centered around the protector deity of Mandi "Mado Rai" (Lord Vishnu) and Lord Shiva of the Bhootnath temple in Mandi. This festival is celebrated with great fervor in Mandi and it is common to see many foreign tourists throng to this region, especially to partake in the Maha Shivaratri celebrations in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

Shivarathri, is the darkest day of the month. Celebrating Shivarathri on a monthly basis, and the particular day, Mahashivarathri, almost seems like celebration of darkness. Any logical mind would resist darkness and naturally opt for light. But the word “Shiva” literally means “that which is not.” “That which is,” is existence and creation. “That which is not” is Shiva. “That which is not” means, if you open your eyes and look around, if your vision is for small things, you will see lots of creation. If your vision is really looking for big things, you will see the biggest presence in the existence is a vast emptiness. A few spots which we call galaxies are generally much noticed, but the vast emptiness that holds them does not come into everybody’s notice. This vastness, this unbounded emptiness, is what is referred to as Shiva. Today, modern science also proves that everything comes from nothing and goes back to nothing. It is in this context that Shiva, the vast emptiness or nothingness, is referred to as the great lord, or Mahadeva.

Every religion, every culture on this planet has always been talking about the omnipresent, all-pervading nature of the divine. If we look at it, the only thing that can be truly all-pervading, the only thing that can be everywhere is darkness, nothingness, or emptiness. Generally, when people are seeking well being, we talk of the divine as light. When people are no longer seeking well being, when they are looking beyond their life in terms of dissolving, if the object of their worship and their sadhana is dissolution, then we always refer to the divine as darkness.

Light is a brief happening in your mind. Light is not eternal, it is always a limited possibility because it happens and it ends. The greatest source of light that we know on this planet is the sun. Even the sun’s light, you could stop it with your hand and leave a shadow of darkness behind. 

But darkness is all-enveloping, everywhere. The immature minds in the world have always described darkness as the devil. But when you describe the divine as all-pervading, you are obviously referring to the divine as darkness, because only darkness is all-pervading. It is everywhere. It does not need any support from anything. Light always comes from a source that is burning itself out. It has a beginning and an end. It is always from a limited source. Darkness has no source. It is a source unto itself. It is all-pervading, everywhere, omnipresent. So when we say Shiva, it is this vast emptiness of existence. It is in the lap of this vast emptiness that all creation has happened. It is that lap of emptiness that we refer to as the Shiva.

In Indian culture, all the ancient prayers were not about saving yourself, protecting yourself or doing better in life. All the ancient prayers have always been “Oh lord, destroy me so that I can become like yourself.

So when we say Shivarathri, which is the darkest night of the month, it is an opportunity for one to dissolve their limitedness, to experience the unboundedness of the source of creation which is the seed in every human being. Mahashivarathri is an opportunity and a possibility to bring yourself to that experience of the vast emptiness within every human being, which is the source of all creation.

On the one hand, Shiva is known as the destroyer. On the other, he is known as the most compassionate. He is also known to be the greatest of the givers. The yogic lore is rife with many stories about Shiva’s compassion. The ways of expression of his compassion have been incredible and astonishing at the same time. So Mahashivarathri is a special night for receiving too.

It is our wish and blessing that you must not pass this night without knowing at least a moment of the vastness of this emptiness that we call as Shiva. Let this night not just be a night of wakefulness, let this night be a night of awakening for you

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip

 Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, married since 1947.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip

 Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, married since 1947.

LOSE YOUR BELLY FAT IN SIMPLE WAY - 7

LOSE YOUR BELLY FAT IN SIMPLE WAY


Looking for ways to lose belly fat and sculpt your abs without exhausting workouts and special equipment? Although an abdominal equipment can help you tone your abs faster, most of this equipment can be absolutely useless and it doesn’t bring the promised results. To get perfectly sculpted abs, you need a clean diet, lots of energy and the will to exercise each day. Consider using these 7 tips to lose belly fat and sculpt your abs. They do work!




1. Boost your cardio























You exercise every single day and you’re greatly disappointed because you’re not seeing any positive results. Don’t worry, just boost your cardio. Cardio can help you burn plenty of calories in a single workout as well as burn fat all over your body, including your belly.


Unusual Tips and Foods That Boost Fat Loss


5 simple ways to drop fat faster with less work and in far less time.

It always amazes me how some people work so hard, either with their diet or in the gym, but never do the basics that make it so much easier for them to get the results they reserved.


Here's 5 simple, scientific, sure-fire ways to shed more fat...




If you want to drop fat fast, NEVER go to sleep without eating a Slim Jim.

OK... maybe you shouldn't choose a Slim Jim :) but you can drop fat 32% faster if, instead of going to bed hungry like most people used to think, you have a small plate of protein.


Cool off to shed those last few pounds of fat. People who shower in cool to cold water burn, on average, 100 extra calories during their shower than those who soak in a hot shower. Cold water forces your body to work overtime to maintain it's normal temperature!





Sleep it off. Those who learn how to sleep through the night burn fat 2 TIMES moreefficiently than people who toss and turn, or get out of bed often during the night.


Learn to spit. If you get a boost from sugary drinks during your workout, you're not alone! Sports drinks give us a boost in 2 ways (by giving us a little sugar-high, but equally as stimulating to your system is the psychological boost you get from the taste of the sugary drink).


So if you really want to be lean, you need to learn to spit. By taking a mouthful of a sports drink like Gatorade and spitting it out, you'll get the psychological boost in energy you need without the sugar that makes fat stick to your body.



NEVER eat in front of the TV. People who eat in front of the television, on average, eat 29% more food.


And a 2009 study by Yale University showed that people who watched food related commercials ate 45% more!


Is this everything you need?

No. It's only 5 of the unique tactics I'll share with you next (click the button below for more details)...

These 5 are just the tip of the iceberg, but they're enough to get you moving!

And once you're moving, results WILL come!

LOSE YOUR BELLY FAT IN SIMPLE WAY - 7

LOSE YOUR BELLY FAT IN SIMPLE WAY


Looking for ways to lose belly fat and sculpt your abs without exhausting workouts and special equipment? Although an abdominal equipment can help you tone your abs faster, most of this equipment can be absolutely useless and it doesn’t bring the promised results. To get perfectly sculpted abs, you need a clean diet, lots of energy and the will to exercise each day. Consider using these 7 tips to lose belly fat and sculpt your abs. They do work!




1. Boost your cardio























You exercise every single day and you’re greatly disappointed because you’re not seeing any positive results. Don’t worry, just boost your cardio. Cardio can help you burn plenty of calories in a single workout as well as burn fat all over your body, including your belly.


Unusual Tips and Foods That Boost Fat Loss


5 simple ways to drop fat faster with less work and in far less time.

It always amazes me how some people work so hard, either with their diet or in the gym, but never do the basics that make it so much easier for them to get the results they reserved.


Here's 5 simple, scientific, sure-fire ways to shed more fat...




If you want to drop fat fast, NEVER go to sleep without eating a Slim Jim.

OK... maybe you shouldn't choose a Slim Jim :) but you can drop fat 32% faster if, instead of going to bed hungry like most people used to think, you have a small plate of protein.


Cool off to shed those last few pounds of fat. People who shower in cool to cold water burn, on average, 100 extra calories during their shower than those who soak in a hot shower. Cold water forces your body to work overtime to maintain it's normal temperature!





Sleep it off. Those who learn how to sleep through the night burn fat 2 TIMES moreefficiently than people who toss and turn, or get out of bed often during the night.


Learn to spit. If you get a boost from sugary drinks during your workout, you're not alone! Sports drinks give us a boost in 2 ways (by giving us a little sugar-high, but equally as stimulating to your system is the psychological boost you get from the taste of the sugary drink).


So if you really want to be lean, you need to learn to spit. By taking a mouthful of a sports drink like Gatorade and spitting it out, you'll get the psychological boost in energy you need without the sugar that makes fat stick to your body.



NEVER eat in front of the TV. People who eat in front of the television, on average, eat 29% more food.


And a 2009 study by Yale University showed that people who watched food related commercials ate 45% more!


Is this everything you need?

No. It's only 5 of the unique tactics I'll share with you next (click the button below for more details)...

These 5 are just the tip of the iceberg, but they're enough to get you moving!

And once you're moving, results WILL come!

Dream

Dream

I dream of you as a nightingale 

Chanting verses of love 

Whispering a greenish tale 

Of a world diving in temptations

The purest ones

The virtuous of all..

With grapes you're feeding my heart

With wine I'm sluicing your soul.. 

I dream of you as a nightingale 

Nourished with celestial love 

With hardened wings

Soaring above..

Questing a corner 

To absorb worldly love 

O Nightingale, weaken not your stiff wings 

Rotating in circles

Revolving in rings 

For earthly love 

Harvest never the heavenly joy..

Ola Sawah

Dream

Dream

I dream of you as a nightingale 

Chanting verses of love 

Whispering a greenish tale 

Of a world diving in temptations

The purest ones

The virtuous of all..

With grapes you're feeding my heart

With wine I'm sluicing your soul.. 

I dream of you as a nightingale 

Nourished with celestial love 

With hardened wings

Soaring above..

Questing a corner 

To absorb worldly love 

O Nightingale, weaken not your stiff wings 

Rotating in circles

Revolving in rings 

For earthly love 

Harvest never the heavenly joy..

Ola Sawah

CRICKET WORLD CUP - 2015 opening ceremony

New Zealand public with the World Cup 

Traipse through Christchurch this week and see cricket moving in like a pathogen on another sport's turf. If New Zealand is rugby heartland, the Canterbury province is its aortic chamber. Here, local veins bleed the Canterbury Rugby Union's red-and-black, grizzled men speak of All Black stars Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter as if they were their own children, whose bedrooms, by the way, are covered in posters of the same men in sporting pose.

Cricket's grip had begun to set in when Christchurch was granted the World Cup curtain-raiser. Then on Boxing Day, when the city saw its first Test match since 2006, Brendon McCullum's breakneck 195 gave a bold new edge to the invasion. Suddenly, the chatter over café tables was no longer about backlines and forward packs. Top orders and bowling attacks captured imaginations instead.

By Thursday, the cricket contagion had become an epidemic, as denizens gathered in their tens of thousands at the opening ceremony. North Hagley Park broke out in dozens of mini cricket matches, some at specially-themed stations celebrating all corners of the cricket universe, from the Caribbean's calypso to Punjab's bhangra. WG Grace watched over the Victorian themed match, which was attended by pretend Victorian ladies, having pretend tea on the boundary.

As the sun set and the show began, the swelling masses obeyed the directions issued by the ceremony's presenters and turned around to wave at the helicopter flying overhead - it's camera potentially beaming their collective flailings to hundreds of millions worldwide. Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel even took the stage like the hype-woman for a 1980s rapper and bellowed "We are back", amid other rhapsodic catchphrases. Here was a town so caught in the spirit of the event, it did not mind coming off a little naff. Here was a city so keen to resurge after four difficult years, each of its citizens were taking ownership of their own bite-sized role in hosting planet cricket.

"Right from the beginning when I started working on cricket World Cup, everyone was very interested in Christchurch and how it could have a special role in the tournament," New Zealand's head World Cup organiser, Therese Walsh said. "What happened with the Rugby World Cup in 2011, is that matches were taken away from Christchurch after the earthquakes. It was always really important to us to bring a major sporting event back to the city. We knew we needed stadiums with bigger capacity for the quarter and semi final, so the obvious thing for Christchurch was the opening match and opening event."

It has helped no end of course, that like Christchurch, New Zealand's cricket team has risen dramatically from the dust of its barren spell at the beginning of this decade. Not so long ago, they were pampered wastrels of ability in the public's eye, but Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson have now pulled off a monumentally successful rebranding campaign, not just via on-field successes, but also by adopting values that resonate with the national ethos. Tim Southee canned his trash talk. McCullum curbed his own public impetuosity. "Humility" became a buzzword, and respect the team dogma.

"Ticket sales are very strong, very early. When we launched them one year ago, we sold thousands of tickets. Even before the tournament has started, five of the six Black Caps matches are sold out." NEW ZEALAND HEAD WORLD CUP ORGANISER, THERESE WALSH

New Zealand's young quicks have begun to set pulses racing as well as any All Blacks line break, but it is not Southee and Trent Boult around whom New Zealand's World Cup hopes have gathered. In Kane Williamson's mellow manner and monstrous appetite for runs New Zealand has found a hero as young, as restrained, and as exquisite to behold as the country itself.

There is arguably no more exciting young player in the world, yet New Zealand's cricket fans don't beat chests or blow trumpets. Williamson's nation of admirers speak of him in whispers, as if the decibels of their regard could press down on his 24-year-old shoulders. "He doesn't quite understand how good he is", fans feel. Both they, and perhaps he, will strive to leave that unchanged. McCullum's blitzkriegs and Ross Taylor's legside shellackings will always exhilarate and draw great crowds, but Williamson is forming a deeper, more profound relationship with New Zealand's public.

New Zealand's optimism about their team's chances of lifting the trophy, is similarly subdued. They know the details of the team's outstanding form, but they are eager to experience the World Cup journey, rather set sights too tightly on a triumphant destination.

"With the rugby world cup, there was a lot of excitement, but there was also a weighing down and seriousness brought by the expectation that the All Blacks had to win," Walsh said, having also helped oversee New Zealand's hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 2011. "You don't get that so much with the cricket World Cup. It's very much a: 'Ooh, we think the Black Caps can do pretty well in this tournament' kind of feeling. There were a couple of years when the public was a little negative toward the team, but there has been a real re-emergence of cricket."


That re-emergence has seen thousands sign up as volunteers, while organisers' efforts to have migrant communities from cricket-playing nations involved have also caught fire. The opening ceremony in Christchurch began with a Kandyan dance, performed by a locally-based Sri Lankan troupe. That event had plenty of Indian, Pakistani and Caribbean flavour as well.

More importantly, healthy crowds are expected for matches throughout the country. "What usually happens for international cricket in this country, is we're a little bit slow," Walsh said. "We wait till the day and we see what the weather is like. We're very much a walk-up crowd.

"For World Cup, sales are very strong, very early. When we launched them one year ago, we sold thousands of tickets. Even before the tournament has started, five of the six Black Caps matches are sold out."

The most anticipated of those sold-out games is New Zealand's game against Australia at Eden Park, on February 28. Though Australia have more storied cricket rivalries, no victory is more savoured in New Zealand than triumph over the men from "across the ditch". Unlike in rugby, where the Bledisloe Cup is contested between these two teams every year, New Zealand cricket fans grumble that their side don't tour their neighbours often enough.

It is of course inevitable that when the All Blacks re-form for the approach to their defence of the Rugby World Cup later this year, that the country's sporting allegiance will realign itself. But for the next six weeks, New Zealanders have readied to dance to the beat of leather on willow, emboldened by the devious thought their nation of four million could hold two major world titles at the end of it all.

CRICKET WORLD CUP - 2015 opening ceremony

New Zealand public with the World Cup 

Traipse through Christchurch this week and see cricket moving in like a pathogen on another sport's turf. If New Zealand is rugby heartland, the Canterbury province is its aortic chamber. Here, local veins bleed the Canterbury Rugby Union's red-and-black, grizzled men speak of All Black stars Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter as if they were their own children, whose bedrooms, by the way, are covered in posters of the same men in sporting pose.

Cricket's grip had begun to set in when Christchurch was granted the World Cup curtain-raiser. Then on Boxing Day, when the city saw its first Test match since 2006, Brendon McCullum's breakneck 195 gave a bold new edge to the invasion. Suddenly, the chatter over café tables was no longer about backlines and forward packs. Top orders and bowling attacks captured imaginations instead.

By Thursday, the cricket contagion had become an epidemic, as denizens gathered in their tens of thousands at the opening ceremony. North Hagley Park broke out in dozens of mini cricket matches, some at specially-themed stations celebrating all corners of the cricket universe, from the Caribbean's calypso to Punjab's bhangra. WG Grace watched over the Victorian themed match, which was attended by pretend Victorian ladies, having pretend tea on the boundary.

As the sun set and the show began, the swelling masses obeyed the directions issued by the ceremony's presenters and turned around to wave at the helicopter flying overhead - it's camera potentially beaming their collective flailings to hundreds of millions worldwide. Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel even took the stage like the hype-woman for a 1980s rapper and bellowed "We are back", amid other rhapsodic catchphrases. Here was a town so caught in the spirit of the event, it did not mind coming off a little naff. Here was a city so keen to resurge after four difficult years, each of its citizens were taking ownership of their own bite-sized role in hosting planet cricket.

"Right from the beginning when I started working on cricket World Cup, everyone was very interested in Christchurch and how it could have a special role in the tournament," New Zealand's head World Cup organiser, Therese Walsh said. "What happened with the Rugby World Cup in 2011, is that matches were taken away from Christchurch after the earthquakes. It was always really important to us to bring a major sporting event back to the city. We knew we needed stadiums with bigger capacity for the quarter and semi final, so the obvious thing for Christchurch was the opening match and opening event."

It has helped no end of course, that like Christchurch, New Zealand's cricket team has risen dramatically from the dust of its barren spell at the beginning of this decade. Not so long ago, they were pampered wastrels of ability in the public's eye, but Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson have now pulled off a monumentally successful rebranding campaign, not just via on-field successes, but also by adopting values that resonate with the national ethos. Tim Southee canned his trash talk. McCullum curbed his own public impetuosity. "Humility" became a buzzword, and respect the team dogma.

"Ticket sales are very strong, very early. When we launched them one year ago, we sold thousands of tickets. Even before the tournament has started, five of the six Black Caps matches are sold out." NEW ZEALAND HEAD WORLD CUP ORGANISER, THERESE WALSH

New Zealand's young quicks have begun to set pulses racing as well as any All Blacks line break, but it is not Southee and Trent Boult around whom New Zealand's World Cup hopes have gathered. In Kane Williamson's mellow manner and monstrous appetite for runs New Zealand has found a hero as young, as restrained, and as exquisite to behold as the country itself.

There is arguably no more exciting young player in the world, yet New Zealand's cricket fans don't beat chests or blow trumpets. Williamson's nation of admirers speak of him in whispers, as if the decibels of their regard could press down on his 24-year-old shoulders. "He doesn't quite understand how good he is", fans feel. Both they, and perhaps he, will strive to leave that unchanged. McCullum's blitzkriegs and Ross Taylor's legside shellackings will always exhilarate and draw great crowds, but Williamson is forming a deeper, more profound relationship with New Zealand's public.

New Zealand's optimism about their team's chances of lifting the trophy, is similarly subdued. They know the details of the team's outstanding form, but they are eager to experience the World Cup journey, rather set sights too tightly on a triumphant destination.

"With the rugby world cup, there was a lot of excitement, but there was also a weighing down and seriousness brought by the expectation that the All Blacks had to win," Walsh said, having also helped oversee New Zealand's hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 2011. "You don't get that so much with the cricket World Cup. It's very much a: 'Ooh, we think the Black Caps can do pretty well in this tournament' kind of feeling. There were a couple of years when the public was a little negative toward the team, but there has been a real re-emergence of cricket."


That re-emergence has seen thousands sign up as volunteers, while organisers' efforts to have migrant communities from cricket-playing nations involved have also caught fire. The opening ceremony in Christchurch began with a Kandyan dance, performed by a locally-based Sri Lankan troupe. That event had plenty of Indian, Pakistani and Caribbean flavour as well.

More importantly, healthy crowds are expected for matches throughout the country. "What usually happens for international cricket in this country, is we're a little bit slow," Walsh said. "We wait till the day and we see what the weather is like. We're very much a walk-up crowd.

"For World Cup, sales are very strong, very early. When we launched them one year ago, we sold thousands of tickets. Even before the tournament has started, five of the six Black Caps matches are sold out."

The most anticipated of those sold-out games is New Zealand's game against Australia at Eden Park, on February 28. Though Australia have more storied cricket rivalries, no victory is more savoured in New Zealand than triumph over the men from "across the ditch". Unlike in rugby, where the Bledisloe Cup is contested between these two teams every year, New Zealand cricket fans grumble that their side don't tour their neighbours often enough.

It is of course inevitable that when the All Blacks re-form for the approach to their defence of the Rugby World Cup later this year, that the country's sporting allegiance will realign itself. But for the next six weeks, New Zealanders have readied to dance to the beat of leather on willow, emboldened by the devious thought their nation of four million could hold two major world titles at the end of it all.