 One
of the more important festivals of India, Krishna Janmashtami
is celebrated on the eighth day of the dark fortnight
in the month of Bhadrapad. This year the
festival is being celebrated on the 11th of August. 'Janma'
means 'birth' and 'ashtami' means the 'eighth
day'. The festival is celebrated commemorating the birth
of Krishna. On this day, the faithful observe a day's
fast only to break it at midnight. This is because it
is believed that Krishna's birth took place at midnight.
The temples are brightly done up and the image of Krishnais
bathed with curd, milk, honey, dry fruit and basil or
tulasi leaves. Devotional songs are sung till
midnight in anticipation of baby Krishna. Special
cradles are installed at temples and a small statue
of the baby god is placed in them. At exactly midnight,
temple bells are rung to announce the birth of Krishna.
Everyone gets a chance to rock the cradle of the newborn
and arati is performed.
According to the Puranas, Vishnu took
the avatara of Krishna to slay the evil king of Mathura,
Kansa. He was born as Krishna in the 28th year of the
Dwapara Yuga. According to a legend, during
the marriage of his dear cousin Devi and Vasudeva, an
oracle foretold Kansa that Devi's eight child would
be responsible for his death. Enraged, Kansa prisoned
the newly wed couple. Soon, he killed six of their children.
The seventh child however was transferred to the womb
of Rohini, another of Vasudeva's wives, and Kansa believed
that Devaki had suffered a miscarriage.
 When
she was pregnant with the eighth child, despite
the greater security in the prisons, at midnight on
the eighth day in the month of Shravana, Krishna was
born. Divinely guided, Vasudeva carried Krishna across
the flooded Yamuna river, under the protection of the
huge serpent Sesha Naga's hood, to a village called
Gokul. There, he left Krishna in care of his
sister Yashoda and her husband Nanda and hurried back
to the prison.
Krishna Janmashtami is also a very community oriented
festival. Exciting games are played during this
time like breaking of the dahi handi or
'pot of curd'. A terracotta pot containing milk, butter
and curd is hung high up across a street. Groups of
men form a pyramid to try and break this pot. The group
that succeeds is named the winner.
This is briefly how Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated
and hope you have a happy festival!
 The
Hare Krishna Chant
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Click
here to hear the chant 
- Mischelle Rebello
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