The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).
Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa.
A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar.
Krishna Janmashtami (Sanskrit: कृष्णजन्माष्टमी, romanized:Kṛṣṇajanmāṣṭamī), also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In certain Hindu texts, such as the Gita Govinda, Krishna has been identified as supreme God and the source of all avatars.[3] Krishna's birth is celebrated and observed on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) in ShravanaMasa (according to the amanta tradition). According to the purnimanta tradition), Krishna's birth is celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) in Bhadrapada Masa.
It is an important festival, particularly in the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism.[4] The celebratory customs associated with Janmashtami include a celebration festival, reading and recitation of religious texts, dance and enactments of the life of Krishna according to the Bhagavata Purana, devotional singing till midnight (the time of Krishna's birth), and fasting (upavasa), amongst other things.[5] Some break their daylong fast at midnight with a feast.[6][7] Krishna Janmashtami is widely celebrated across India and abroad.[3][8]
Etymology
The meaning of the Sanskrit word Janmashtami can be understood by splitting it into the two words, "Janma" and "Ashtami." The word "Janma" means birth[9] and the word "Ashtami" means eight; thus, Krishna Janmashtami is the celebration of Krishna's birth on the eighth day of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) in the month of Bhadrapada (August–September).[10][11]
Information about Krishna's life is noted in the Mahabharata, the Puranas, and Bhagavata Purana. Krishna is the eighth son of Devaki (mother) and Vasudeva (father).[3] Surrounding the time of his birth, persecution was rampant, freedoms were being denied, and King Kamsa's life was threatened.[12] Krishna was born within a prison in Mathura, India where his parents were constrained by his uncle, Kamsa.[3] During Devaki's wedding, Kamsa was warned by a celestial voice that Devaki's eighth son would be the cause of his death.[3] In an effort to defy this prophesy, Kamsa imprisoned his sister Devaki and her husband and promptly killed the first six of her newborns after their birth.[3] The guards responsible for keeping watch over Devaki's cell fell asleep and the cell doors were miraculously opened at the time of Krishna's birth.[3] These events allowed Vasudeva to send Krishna across the Yamuna River to his foster parents, Yashoda (mother) and Nanda (father).[3] This legend is celebrated on Janmashtami by people keeping fasts, singing devotional songs of love for Krishna, and keeping a vigil into the night.[13]
Throughout Krishna's childhood and young adult life, Balarama, Krishna's half-brother, was a "constant companion" for him. Balarama joined Krishna in the major events that are celebrated in Vraja, Brindavan, Dravarka, and Mathura such as stealing butter, chasing calves, playing in the cow pens, and participating in wrestling matches.[14]
Observance and celebrations
Some communities celebrate Krishna's legends such as him as a Makkan chor (butter thief).
Krishna Janmashtami holds significant importance to Krishnaites as well as Hindus around the world, and it is celebrated in diverse forms depending on their regional and cultural customs.[15][4] Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting, singing, praying together, preparing and sharing special food, night vigils, and visiting Krishna or Vishnu temples. The places of Mathura and Vrindavan are visited by pilgrims.[8] Some mandirs organize recitation of Bhagavad Gita in the days leading up to Janmashtami.[16] Many northern Indian communities organize dance-drama events called Rasa Lila or Krishna Lila.[13] The tradition of Rasa Lila is particularly popular 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.[17][18] People decorate their houses with flowers and light.[19] On this day, people chant "Hare Krishna hare Krishna, Krishna- Krishna Hare Hare". The Janmashtami celebration is followed by Dahi Handi, which is celebrated the next day.[20][21]
After Krishna's midnight hour birth, forms of baby Krishna are 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.[13]
Dahi Handi, a Janmashtami tradition, in progress in Mumbai India.
Northern India
Janmashtami at ISKCON temple, Delhi
Janmashtami is the largest festival in the Braj region of north India, in cities such as Mathura where Krishna was born according to Krishnaism, and in Vrindavan where he grew up.[13]Vaishnava communities in these cities in Uttar Pradesh, as well as others in the state, as well as locations in Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himalayan north celebrate Janmashtami. Krishna temples are decorated and lighted up, they attract numerous visitors on the day, while Krishna devotees hold bhakti events and keep night vigil.[22]
The festival typically falls as the monsoons in north India have begun retreating, fields laden with crops and rural communities have time to play. In the northern states, Janmashtami is celebrated with the Raslila tradition, which literally means "play (Lila) of delight, essence (Rasa)". This is expressed as solo or group dance and drama events at Janmashtami, wherein Krishna related compositions are sung, music accompanies the performance, while actors and audience share and celebrate the performance by clapping hands to mark the beat.[23] The childhood pranks of Krishna and the love affairs of Radha-Krishna are particularly popular. According to Christian Roy and other scholars, these Radha-Krishna love stories are Hindu symbolism for the longing and love of the human soul for the divine or Brahman.[24][23]
Poetry describing the feats of Krishna became popular in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries within the Braj region, and is written according to a vernacular called "Braj basha" (present-day "Hindi"/dialect of "Hindi").[25] The Braj basha poems of Surdas (collectively known as the Sursagar) are popularly recalled, some of which describe the birth and childhood of Krishna.[5]
Jammu Region
In Jammu region, Janmashtami is popularly known by the name "Thogre/Thakure da Vrat"[26] (meaning Vrat dedicated to Thakur i.e. Shri Krishna). Observing a Phalaahari Vrat for complete one day is the major ritual in the festival. The day is marked by numerous Phalaahari Dhaams or Bhandaras in the streets of Jammu region's prominent towns.
Janmashtami marks the beginning of the kite-flying season in the Jammu region whereby locals gather and fly decorated kites from their rooftops.[27] While on the other hand, girls and women decorate their palms by applying Teera, dye of an indigenous plant.[26]
Another ceremony associated with Janmashtami in Jammu region is "Deyaa Parna" in which Dogras donate cereal grains in the name of their ancestors & Kuldevtas. A holy tree called jand is worshipped by women on this day. Special rotis called draupads are prepared and offered to cows and deities.[26]
Kashmir
Janmashtami is celebrated as Zaram Satam (Janam Saptami) by the native Kashmiri Pandits of Kashmir. The festival is associated with observing a vrat the whole day and visiting the Thokur Kuth (Krishna Mandir) at midnight. At night, puja is performed in the temples which includes performing abhishek (ritual bath) to the murti of Krishna, and singing bhajans (devotional songs). Food items appropriate for fasting, such as gaer or singhada lapsi (made from waterchestnut flour), fruits, and dried fruits are consumed on this day.[28]
Janmashtami (popularly known as "Dahi Handii" in Maharashtra) is celebrated in cities such as Mumbai, Latur, Nagpur and Pune.[4] It is a celebration of joy and facilitator of social oneness.[4]Dahi Handi is an enactment of how Krishna, during his childhood, would steal butter.[29] This story is the theme of numerous reliefs on temples across India, as well as literature and dance-drama repertoire, symbolizing the joyful innocence of children, that love and life's play is the manifestation of god.[30][31]
It is common practice for youth groups to celebrate the festival by participating in Dahi Handi, which involves hanging a clay pot, filled with buttermilk, at a significant height.[4] Once hung, several youth groups compete to reach the pot by creating a human pyramid and breaking it open.[4][29][32][33] The spilled contents are considered as prasada (celebratory offering). It is a public spectacle, cheered and welcomed as a community event.[23][34]
Gujarat and Rajasthan
In Dwarka, Gujarat – where Krishna is believed to have established his kingdom – people celebrate the festival with a tradition similar to Dahi Handi, called Makhan Handi (pot with freshly churned butter). Others perform folk dances such and garba and raas, sing bhajans, and visit Krishna temples such as at the Dwarkadhish Temple or Nathdwara. In the Kutch district region, farmers decorate their bullock carts and take out Krishna processions, with group singing and dancing.[35] The day is of special importance to followers of the Pushtimarg and the Swaminarayan movement.[36]
The works of Gujarati poets, Narsinh Mehta (1414–1480 c.e.), Dayaram (1777–1852) and Rajasthani poet Mirabai (c.1500), are popularly revisited and sung during Janmashtami. Their works are categorized as part of the bhakti tradition, or devotional poetry dedicated to Krishna.[37][5]
In Tamil Nadu, people decorate the floor with kolams (decorative pattern drawn with rice batter). Geetha Govindam and other such devotional songs are sung in praise of Krishna. Little footprints, representing Krishna as an infant, are drawn from the threshold of the house till the pooja (prayer) room, which depicts the arrival of Krishna into the house.[38] Reciting from the Bhagavad Gita is also a popular practice. The offerings made to Krishna include fruits, betel and butter. Milk-based items, such as sweet seedai and verkadalai urundai, are prepared.[39] The festival is celebrated in the evening as Krishna was born at midnight. Most people observe a strict fast on this day.[39]
A toddler dressed like Krishna
In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, recitation of shlokas and devotional songs are the characteristics of this festival. Another unique feature of this festival is that young boys are dressed up as Krishna and they visit neighbours and friends. The people of Andhra Pradesh observe a fast too. Various kinds of sweets such as chakodi, murukku, and seedai are offered to Krishna on this day.[39] Joyful chanting of Krishna's name takes place in quite a few temples of the state. The number of temples dedicated to Krishna are few. The reason being that people have taken to worship him through paintings and not idols.[citation needed]
Popular south Indian temples dedicated to Krishna are Rajagopalaswamy Temple in Mannargudi in the Tiruvarur district, Pandavadhoothar temple in Kanchipuram, Sri Krishna temple at Udupi, and the Krishna temple at Guruvayur are dedicated to the memory of Vishnu's incarnation as Krishna. It is believed that the murti (idol) of Krishna installed in Guruvayur is originally from his kingdom in Dwarka – which is believed to be submerged in the sea.[40]
Eastern and Northeastern India
Janmashtami is widely celebrated by Krishnaite and Hindu Vaishnava communities of eastern and northeastern India. The widespread tradition of celebrating Krishna in these regions is credited to the efforts and teachings of 15th and 16th century Sankardeva and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sankardeva introduced the musical composition, Borgeet, and dance-drama styles – Ankia Naat[41] and Sattriya - that is now popular in West Bengal and Assam. In Manipur state, a traditional dance - Raas Leela - inspired by the theme of love and devotion between Krishna, Radha and the gopis, is enacted using the Manipuri dance style.[42][43][44][45] The contextual roots of these dance drama arts are found in the ancient text Natya Shastra, but with influences from the culture fusion between India and southeast Asia.[46][47][48]
On Janmashtami, parents dress up their children as Krishna or the gopis. Temples and community centers are decorated with regional flowers and leaves, while groups recite or listen to the tenth chapter of the Bhagavata Purana, and the Bhagavata Gita.[23]
Janmashtami is a major festival celebrated with fasts, vigil, recitation of scriptures and Krishna prayers in Manipur.[49] Dancers performing Raslila are a notable annual tradition during Janmashtami in Mathura and Vrindavan.[50] Children play the Likol Sannaba game in the Meetei Krishnaite community.[51]
The Shree Govindajee Temple and the ISKCON temples particularly mark the Janmashtami festival.[52] Janmashtami is celebrated in Assam at homes, in community centers called Namghars (Assamese: নামঘৰ). According to the tradition, the devotees sing the Nam, perform pujas and sharing food and Prasada.[52]
Odisha and West Bengal
Janmashtami Puja in Odia family
In the eastern state of Odisha, specifically the region around Puri and in Nabadwip, West Bengal, the festival is also referred to as Sri Krishna Jayanti or simply Sri Jayanti.[53][54] People celebrate Janmashtami by fasting and worship until midnight. The Bhagavata Purana is recited from the 10th chapter, a section dedicated to the life of Krishna. The next day is called "Nanda Ucchhaba" or the joyous celebration of Krishna's foster parents Nanda and Yashoda. Devotees keep fasting during the entire day of Janmashtami. They bring water from Ganga to bathe Radha Madhaba during their abhisheka ceremony. A grand abhisheka is performed at midnight for the small Radha Madha. In Odisha, the Jagannath Temple in Puri, best known for its grand Ratha Yatra celebrations, perform a Ratha Yatra during Janmashtami.[55]
About eighty percent of the population of Nepal identify themselves as Hindus and celebrate Krishna Janmashtami. They observe Janmashtami by fasting until midnight. It is a national holiday in Nepal.[56] The devotees recite the Bhagavad Gita and sing religious songs called bhajans and kirtans. The temples of Krishna are decorated. Shops, posters and houses carry Krishna motifs.[57]
Bangladesh
Janmashtami is a national holiday in Bangladesh.[58] On Janmashtami, a procession starts from Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, the National Temple of Bangladesh, and then proceeds through the streets of Old Dhaka. The procession dates back to 1902, but was stopped in 1948. The procession was resumed in 1989.[59]
Fiji
At least a quarter of the population in Fiji practices Hinduism, and this holiday has been celebrated in Fiji since the first Indian indentured laborers landed there. Janmashtami in Fiji is known as "Krishna Ashtami". Most Hindus in Fiji have ancestors that originated from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu, making this an especially important festival for them. Fiji's Janmashtami celebrations are unique in that they last for eight days, leading up to the eighth day, the day Krishna was born. During these eight days, Hindus gather at homes and at temples with their 'mandalis,' or devotional groups at evenings and night, and recite the Bhagavat Purana, sing devotional songs for Krishna, and distribute Prasadam.[60]
In Arizona, United States, Governor Janet Napolitano was the first American leader to greet a message on Janmashtami, while acknowledging ISKCON.[63] The festival is also celebrated widely by Krishnaites in the Caribbean countries of Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Suriname. Many Kriahnaites and Hindus in these countries originate from Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar; descendants of indentured immigrants from Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, and Orissa.
Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is widely revered among Hindu divinities. Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar.
Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna. Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil, as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu. Holi originated and is predominantly celebrated in the Indian subcontinent, but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the Indian diaspora.
Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half of the lunar month of Phalguna. The festival commemorates the wedding of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion that Shiva performs his divine dance, called the Tandava.
Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the year, typically beginning in mid to late July and ending in late August. In the Tamil calendar, it is known as Āadi and is the fifth month of the solar year. In lunar religious calendars, Śrāvaṇa begins on the new moon or the full moon and is the fifth month of the year. Srabon is the fourth month of the solar Bengali calendar. It is also the fourth month of the Nepali calendar. Śrāvaṇa is also the second month of Varsha.
Mathura district is situated along the banks of the river Yamuna is a district of Uttar Pradesh state of north-central India. The historic city of Mathura is the district headquarters. Mathura district is home to many important sites associated with goddess Radha and Lord Krishna, who was born in Mathura and grew up in the nearby town of Vrindavan. Both cities are some of the most sacred sites in the Vaishnava tradition, making Mathura district an important Hindu pilgrimage centre.
Sharad Purnima is a religious festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin, marking the end of the monsoon season. The full moon night is celebrated in different ways in various cultural regions across Indian subcontinent.
Shrinathji is a form of Krishna, manifested as a seven-year-old child. The principal shrine of Shrinathji is the Shrinathji Temple in the temple city of Nathdwara, 48 kilometres north-east of Udaipur city in Rajasthan, India. Shrinathji is the central presiding deity of the Vaishnava sect known as Pushtimarg or the Vallabha Sampradaya, established by Vallabhacharya. Shrinathji is worshipped mainly by the followers of Bhakti Yoga and the Vaishnavas in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and Bhatias amongst others.
Radhashtami is a Hindu religious day commemorating the birth anniversary of the goddess Radha, the chief consort of the god Krishna. It is celebrated in her birthplace Barsana and the entire Braj region on the eighth day (ashtami) of the bright (waxing) half of the lunar month of Bhadrapada. Radhashtami falls fifteen days after Krishna Janmashtami.
Teej, literally meaning the "third" denoting the third day after the new moon when the monsoon begins as per the Hindu calendar, is a combined name for 3 Hindu festivals primarily dedicated to Hindu deities - the mother goddess Parvati and her male consort Shiva, mainly celebrated by married women and unmarried girls mostly in Nepal and North India to wish for the long life of their husband or future husband and to welcome the arrival of monsoon season with the singing, swings, dancing, enjoyment, prayer rituals and often fasting.
A handi is a cooking basin made from copper or clay (pot) originating in the Indian subcontinent. It is utilised primarily in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cooking.
Govardhan Puja, also known as Annakut or Annakoot, is a Hindu festival celebrated on the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika, on the fourth day of Diwali. Devotees worship Govardhan Hill and prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to Krishna as a mark of gratitude. For Vaishnavas, this day commemorates the incident in the Bhagavata Purana when Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from torrential rains. This incident symbolizes God offering protection to devotees who take singular refuge in him. Devotees offer a mountain of food, metaphorically representing the Govardhan Hill, to God as a ritual remembrance and to renew their faith in taking refuge in God. The festival is observed by most Hindu denominations all over India and abroad.
Ashtami is the eighth day (Tithi) of Hindu lunar calendar.
Dahi Handi is an entertainment and competitive event associated with Krishna Janmashtami, the Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna.
Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by the Punjabis, originating in the Punjab region. The Punjabis are religiously a diverse and that affects the festivals they observe. According to a 2007 estimate, a total of ∼75% percent of the Punjabi population is Muslim, accounting about 90 million people, with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to the remaining 30 million Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus who predominantly live in India.
Rama Navami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being an ideal king and human through his righteousness, good conduct and virtue. The festival falls on the ninth day of the bright half of the lunar cycle of Chaitra (March–April), the first month in the Hindu calendar. It is also part of the Chaitra Navaratri festival in spring. Rama Navami is a holiday for government employees in India.
Here is a list of glossary of culture of India in alphabetical order:
Jhulan Purnima,Jhulan Yatra or Hindola is a Hindu swinging festival that is dedicated to Hindu god Krishna and goddess Radha. It is popularly celebrated by the Hindu Vaishnava sect in the month of Shravana (July-August) which falls under the monsoon season in India when the weather is hot, humid and slightly breezy. This festival is known for its display of decorated swings, songs and dance. It is a joyful festival which celebrates the amour of divine couple Radha and Krishna along with the romantic fervor of the rainy season in India.
Jai Shri Krishna (Sanskrit: जय श्री कृष्ण, romanized: Jaya Śrī Kṛṣṇa), also rendered Jaya Sri Krishna, is a Sanskrit expression, translating to "Victory to Krishna", a major deity in Hinduism. The salutation is believed to have hailed from the Vaishnavas. The expression is said to greet another person wishing them success, and has also been used as a greeting accompanied with the anjali mudra or bowed head, specially while greeting one's elders.
According to Hindu scriptures such as the Mahabharata, Harivamsa, and the Krishna Charitas, the birth of Krishna took place in Mathura, in present-day Uttar Pradesh, on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha of the Bhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar, to Vasudeva Anakdundubhi, and his wife Devaki. According to Hindu mythology, Krishna was the eighth of the ten avatars of Vishnu, born in the Dvapara Yuga, the third age of the present Hindu cosmology. Krishna is revered as the Supreme Being in many Hindu traditions, most notably in the Krishnaism tradition of Vaishnavism.
↑ Prakasan, Chethana (19 August 2016). "Latest travel Articles & blogs". India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
↑ Vijaya Ghose; Jaya Ramanathan; Renuka N. Khandekar, eds. (1992). Tirtha, A Treasury of Indian Expressions. New Delhi: CMC. p.184. ISBN978-81-900267-0-3. Raslila plays are specially enacted during Janmashtami and Holi festivals at Mathura, Bridavan in the Braj region.
↑ Bhakti Prajnan Yati Maharaj (1978). Renaissance of Gaudiya Vaishnava Movement. Sree Gaudiya Math. p.260. OCLC6199191. His Madras visit took place during the Sri Janmashtami (Sri Krishna's Advent day) ... they made an appeal to Srila Acharyadeva to visit Madras Math every year particularly during the Sri Jayanti (Janmastami).
↑ Entwistle, Alan William. The Rāsa Mana Ke Pada of Kevalarāma: A Medieval Hindi Text of the Eight Gaddī of the Vallabha Sect (PhD thesis). University of London. pp.81–82, 106.
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