This celebration is known as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is celebrated on the eighth tithi (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in Bhadrapada Masa. This overlaps with August or September of the Gregorian calendar.\u00a0 It is a momentous festival, particularly in the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism.<\/p>\n
Krishna is Devaki and Vasudeva Anakadundubhi’s son and his birthday is honoured by Hindus as Janmashtami, particularly those of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition as he is considered the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Janmashtami is celebrated when Krishna is believed to have been born at midnight on the eighth day of Bhadrapada month.<\/p>\n
Krishna was born in an area of chaos where persecution was uncontrolled, freedoms were denied, and evil abounded everywhere.\u00a0 Even his life was under a threat by his uncle King Kansa.<\/p>\n
Directly following his birth at Mathura, his father Vasudeva Anakadundubhi took Krishna across the Yamuna, to foster parents in Gokula, named Nanda and Yashoda who was Vasudeva’s brother and sister-in-law. with Krishna, an avatar of the serpent Shesha Balram was also incarnated on earth as Krishna’s older brother who was the son of Rohini, Vasudeva’s first wife.<\/p>\n
The birth of Lord Krishna and the rituals associated with it portrays the religious significance of the highest truth. The prayers, bhajans and the fasts are all the spiritual Sadhanas or the spiritual practices that aid in the purity of mind to attain the truth which is the Lord.<\/p>\n
Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting, singing, praying together, preparing and sharing special food, night vigils, and visiting Krishna or Vishnu temples. Major Krishna temples organize recitation of Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita.<\/p>\n
After Krishna’s midnight hour birth, baby Krishna is bathed and clothed, then placed in a cradle. The devotees then break their fast, by sharing food and sweets. Women draw tiny footprints outside their house doors and kitchen, walking towards their house, a symbolism for Krishna’s journey into their homes.<\/p>\n
Most northern Indian communities arrange dance-drama events called Rasa Lila or Krishna Lila. The tradition of Rasa Lila is immensely prevalent in the Mathura region, in northeastern states of India such as Manipur and Assam, and in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is acted out by numerous teams of amateur artists, cheered on by their local communities, and these drama-dance plays begin a few days before each Janmashtami.<\/p>\n
Hindus adorn their houses with flowers and light chanting “Hare Krishna hare Krishna, Krishna- Krishna Hare Hare”. These mantras are not mentioned in the holy Gita. Only the “OM” mantra is mentioned in the holy Srimad Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 1.<\/p>\n
The Hare Krishna Maha-mantra was popularized by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu born in 1486.<\/p>\n
The Janmashtami celebration is followed by Dahi Handi in the north, which is celebrated the next day<\/p>\n
Krishna Janmashtami is followed by the festival Nandotsava, which celebrates the occasion when Nanda distributed gifts to the community in honour of the birth.<\/p>\n