Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami is the yearly Hindu celebration of the birth of Krishna, one of the most widely revered deities of Hinduism. Hindus believe Krishna to be the eighth avatar, or earthly form, of the god Vishnu, the preserver of the universe. The festival falls on the eighth day of the waning moon in a month of the Hindu lunar calendar that spans August and September. Because Hindu tradition holds that Krishna was born at midnight, the celebration reaches its height in the middle of the night, with temples full, bells ringing, and the image of the newborn Krishna placed in a cradle. The festival is also known as Janmashtami, Krishnashtami, and Gokulashtami, and it is a public holiday in much of India.

About Krishna

Krishna is among the most beloved figures of Hinduism. Hindus venerate him in two forms at once: as the playful child and cowherd of the villages along the Yamuna River, and as the divine teacher who speaks the Bhagavad Gita, one of the central texts of Hinduism, in which Krishna instructs the warrior Arjuna on duty, devotion, and the nature of the self. Stories of his childhood, his love of butter, his flute playing, and his dances with the cowherd girls are told, sung, and performed across India. His name means the dark one, and he is usually depicted with blue or dark skin.

The Story of Krishna's Birth

According to Hindu tradition, Krishna was born in the city of Mathura in northern India. His mother Devaki was the sister of Kansa, the king of Mathura. Tradition describes Kansa as a tyrant who had taken the throne by imprisoning his own father and who ruled the city through fear. A prophecy had warned Kansa that the eighth son of Devaki would kill him. He imprisoned Devaki and her husband Vasudeva and killed their children at birth. When the eighth child was born at midnight, the prison doors are said to have opened by themselves and the guards fell asleep. Vasudeva carried the newborn across the Yamuna River to the village of Gokul, where he exchanged him for the newborn daughter of the cowherd Nanda and his wife Yashoda. Krishna grew up in their home as a cowherd's son. Hindu tradition recounts that as a young man he returned to Mathura, killed Kansa, freed the city from his rule, and restored his imprisoned grandfather to the throne.

Hindu teaching holds that Vishnu takes an earthly form whenever evil grows stronger than good in the world, in order to protect the good and restore Dharma, the right order of the world. Krishna's birth is understood within Hinduism as such a moment.

The Date of Janmashtami

Janmashtami falls on Ashtami, the eighth day of the waning moon, in the month that most regional Hindu calendars call Bhadrapada and some count as Shravana. In the Western calendar this is late August or early September. The Hindu religious calendar follows the moon, so the date shifts from year to year within this window. The central moment is midnight, the hour of Krishna's birth in the tradition.

The Celebration of Janmashtami

Many Hindus fast through the day of Janmashtami and stay awake in prayer and song until midnight. Temples and homes are decorated, and scenes from Krishna's childhood are set up with small figures. At midnight, the moment of the birth, conch shells are blown, bells are rung, and the image of the infant Krishna is bathed, dressed, placed in a cradle, and rocked. The fast is broken after the midnight ceremonies. Sweets, especially those made with milk and butter, are prepared and shared, echoing the tradition of Krishna's childhood love of butter.

In and around Mathura, the city of Krishna's birth in Hindu tradition, and Vrindavan, where tradition places his childhood, the festival draws large numbers of pilgrims, and temples hold performances of Rasa Lila, plays that reenact episodes from Krishna's life. In the state of Maharashtra, the day after Janmashtami is marked with Dahi Handi: a clay pot filled with curd is hung high above the street, and teams of young people form human pyramids to reach and break it. The custom recalls the accounts of the child Krishna climbing with his friends to steal butter hung out of reach. Hindu communities around the world celebrate Janmashtami in their temples with the same midnight vigil.