Janmashtami
Janamashtami is the very auspicious day for Hindus. This day is observed as the birthday of Lord Krishna. This festival is celebrated with great devotion all over India . Though Janamashtami is a religious festival but lot of fun and merriment is associated with it besides prayer.
Significance of Janamashtami:
Lord Krishna took birth in Mathura in prison where his parents Devaki and Vasudeva were kept as prisoners by cruel king Kansa. From there, Lord Krishna was surreptitiously transferred to the home of Nand and Yashoda, who brought Lord Krishna as his parents. Lord Krishna killed Kansa and saved people from his cruelties.
Date of Janamashtami:
Janamashtami is celebrated eight days after the full moon of Shravan month according to the Hindu calendar; Janamashtami comes in the month of Bhaadrapad. It is celebrated for two days; first day is Krishnashtami or Gokulashtami and second day is the Kalashtami or Janamashtami.
Celebration of Janashtami
Though Janashatami is celebrated in entire north india, Rajasthan, Gujrat with great devotion and fervor but temples of Vrindavan, Mathura and Dwarka are more popular for the Janamashtami celebrations because Lord Krishna spend different periods of his life in these places.
People start preparing for Janamashtami many days before this day. Temples are decorated very elaborately. Idols of lord Krishna are dressed in very rich clothes. People get up early in the morning, clean houses and take bath. People observe fast from dawn till midnight . Devotees pray in the temples whole day; they sing artis, bhajans and keertans.
At midnight , image of Bal Krishna is bathed and cradled. At this time devotees dance and sing in full pitch. Temples get echoed with heavenly sounds of bells and conch. Milk, curd, butter is poured over the idol of Shri Krishana amidst the heavenly chanting of mantras.
Temples are overcrowded and devotional songs and dances are in highest tempo. Devotees take pious sweet and holy water from temple and eat it before breaking their fast. In this fast only fruits are taken as grains are not allowed.
