Birth of Lord Krishna: Janmashtami
Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great devotion on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksh or the 8th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadon, in the whole of north India. Temples and homes are beautifully decorated.
 An attractive feature of the celebrations is cribs & other decorations depicting stories of Lord Krishna’s childhood. There are five main “Jhankis” of Janmashtami which depict the entire sequence of events from Lord Krishna’s birth to his being discovered in Gokul.
The “Jhankis” include the birth of Krishna in jail, Vasudev carrying Krishna across the river Yamuna amidst thunder and lightning, Vasudev’s return to the jail, Kansa killing Yashoda’s daughter and finally the little Krishna in the cradle in Gokul. “Jhankis” are created out of dolls dressed up as kids, men and women with lehangas, chunnis, dhotis & kurtas. Raslila of every type are also performed - Janmlila, Shankarlila, Putnalila and Naglila. In the evening bhajans are sung which end at midnight, the auspicious moment when Lord Krishna was born. Thereafter arti is done, prasad is distributed and flowers are showered on the idol.
Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, where his parents lived in captivity of the evil Kansa and as a young boy came and vanquished his maternal uncle Kansa to ascend the throne and free his parents, celebrates Janmashtami with great enthusiasm. The main celebrations are performed at the Dwarkadhish temple, Mathura in the form of Jhulanotsava and the Ghatas during the entire month of Shravan. The ghatas are a unique feature of the month long celebrations. During the ghatas of a particular color the whole temple is covered with decoration in the same color. Even the Lord dresses up in the same color.
The twin cities of Mathura-Vrindavan takes on a festive look and spirit of devotion runs high among the people. It was on the banks of the Yamuna river where Lord Krishna played during his childhood and indulged in pranks and tricks with his friends and the gopies. There are about 400 temples dedicated to Lord Krishna in this sacred city and the major festivities are held at the Banke Bihari, Rangaji, Shri Krishna Balram temple and Gopinath temple. The Raslila of Braj is thematically the basis of many performing arts.
 The ceremony of worship is a very simple affair. The priests chant holy mantras and jalabhishek the idol with Gangajal (water from the holy Ganges river), milk, ghee (clarified butter), oil, and honey pouring all these from a conch shell. Only after the ceremony is over, the devotees break their daylong fast. In Janmashtami, the devotees keep awake and sing bhajans till midnight, the moment when Krishna was born. People fast all day and eat only after the midnight birth ceremony. Often the image of the baby Krishna is placed on a swing and bathed with charanamrit (holy water). Midnight prayers are performed. The sound of hymns and religious songs exalt the greatness of Krishna.
At midnight between the first and second days the ‘birth of Lord Krishna’ is replicated with pomp and ceremony. Delicacies are prepared from milk and curds that Krishna loved. The more popular ceremony of Dahi-handi (breaking a pot full of milk and its derivatives) takes place on the second day. This ceremony is so popular that Krishnastami has come to be synonymous with the ceremony of Dahi-handi.
The Ceremony of Dahi-Handi, during this ceremony a large earthenware pot is filled with milk, curds, butter, honey fruits etc. and is suspended from a height between 20 to 40 feet. Sporting young men and boys come forward to claim this prize.
To do so they construct a human pyramid by standing over each other’s shoulders till the pyramid is tall enough to enable the topmost person to reach the pot and claim the contents after breaking it. Normally, currency notes are tied to the rope by which the pot is suspended. This prize money is distributed among those who participate in the pyramid building.
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