About Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna was born at midnight in a prison cell in Mathura, where his parents Devaki and Vasudeva were held by Devaki's brother, King Kansa. That night, the story goes, the guards fell asleep and the doors opened, and Vasudeva carried the newborn across the flooded Yamuna to Gokul, where Nanda and Yashoda raised him. The birth is remembered on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, under the Rohini nakshatra, in the purnimanta calendar of the North.
Across India, devotees keep a fast through the day, some taking only fruit and milk, and spend the evening in bhajans and kirtan. Homes and temples set up jhankis, small scenes from Krishna's life, and a cradle is decorated for Laddu Gopal, the baby Krishna. In the jhulan, the cradle is gently rocked by everyone in turn. At midnight, the moment of birth, conches sound, the deity is bathed in panchamrit, dressed in new clothes and offered makhan-mishri, dhaniya panjiri and many sweets. The fast is opened after this puja.
Mathura and Vrindavan celebrate with special devotion, with temples full through the night. In Maharashtra the next day is Gopalkala, when young men form human pyramids to break the Dahi Handi, a pot of curd hung high above the street, in memory of Krishna's love of butter. In Gujarat, Odisha, Bengal and the south, the day is kept with its own songs, dishes and names such as Gokulashtami and Sri Jayanti.
A practical note on the date: the day is chosen by whether Ashtami covers midnight and whether Rohini nakshatra is present. Smarta and Vaishnava communities weigh these a little differently, so in some years the two keep Janmashtami a day apart. Both dates are equally sincere; families follow the custom of their own tradition or temple.
