Krishna Janmashtami date 2018, history and how to celebrate

Krishna Janmashtami in 2018 will be celebrated on 3 September 2018.

Krishna Janmashtami festival is the earthly appearance of Lord Krishna. It is one of the biggest festivals in India and is celebrated by a ton of people around the world too. To the entire Krishna devotees, this festival is a mix of Christmas and New Year into one.

There is a deep spiritual meaning behind this beautiful festival, which you can get to know about right over here. So keep reading to know everything about Krishna Janmashtami. It is heard that Lord Krishna was born when several auspicious planets were around the earth. This is when he came to the earth and made everyone’s wishes true.

The speciality of Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna is known to be a unique personality. He responds to his devotees in the best way. He is known as an adorable person, romantic lover, great friend, and sweet son. On this day, the devotees celebrate every aspect of Lord Krishna. They believe that with true dedication, Krishna will respond to their troubles and help them with it.

How is Krishna Janmashtami celebrated?

Where the Vaishnav temples exist, the festival starts before dawn and goes on till the night. Midnight was the moment when they bring together Krishna’s appearance on the planet. The events are feasts, prayers, private prayers, dressing up and much more.

There is also dance and drama during this time. People decorate huge pictures and statue of Lord Krishna with clothes, jewellery, etc. The pictures are then decorated with garlands and scriptures are read, incense burns plus the special food is made.

There is a ceremony known as the Abhisheka. This is when all the deities will take a bath in the sacred water to wash off all the sins and pray to Lord Krishna. The excitement rises as everyone starts praying loudly in their houses and all the temples are devoted to Krishna on this day.

How do people celebrate Janmashtami festival at home?

If you do not live near any temple or do not want to be part of the crowded huge festival outdoors, there are many ways to celebrate this beautiful day inside your house. Your sincere dedication towards Lord Krishna matters the most on this day and not the fact that you are sitting in the temple.

If you have a small temple in the house with Krishna in it or a picture of him, you can rejoice Krishna Janmashtami at home too.

Here are some ways in which Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated in every Krishna devoted Indian house:

1. Invitation to all the family members is given to start preparation for the festivities.
2. Women often decorate the entire house with balloons, a festoon of leaves, garlands and much more. The garlands are put on Lord Krishna’s picture in the house temples.
3. People sit together and read the prayers from Vaishnava songbooks. Since Krishna is known to love music, people play peaceful instruments and sing bhajans in the temple or prayer room. This brings energy as well as a spiritual atmosphere to the entire house.
4. Hare Krishna mantras are chanted during this time and people ask for wishes too after the bhajans.
5. People decorate Radha-Krishna idols. They first wash them with milk and water, dress them in new clothes and put some jewellery for further decoration. Lastly, tikka is added on the idols as well as on people’s forehead sitting in the puja.
6. Usually, in temples, there are around 108 different kinds of food items but at home people just pick a few favourite and have them. There are puri-sabzi, mishri Makhan and many other dishes widely prepared on this day. Lord Krishna loved Makhan which is why most dishes include this ingredient. Makhan is basically butter made using cow milk.
7. A midnight puja is a must along with kirtan to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna. He was born around midnight, and this is a spiritual time for all the devotees. Even if you aren’t a devotee, experiencing the peace during this hour is stunning.
8. People at home keep a thali of food for Lord Krishna as well. They offer him everything made with Makhan and comprising of this ingredient. Mishri Makhan is the special dish which is kept in the temple in front of Lord Krishna during this day.
9. Women and men, who are devoted to the fullest to Lord, fast till midnight. They have a big main meal once they welcome Krishna into this world. Some people have small fasting food in between like fruits or sabudana khichdi and then break their fast in the night.
10. Kids and adults in the family dress up during the prayers. Women put on their best saree while men get into their Indian attires. You are not allowed to eat non-vegetarian food or have alcohol during this time. This applies to all the devotees and those who truly celebrate the festival.

These are the festivals that take place within families and at home. There are many other fun activities that people indulge in during this day. Here are few of them: –

1. Groups of people organize fancy dress competitions where all the little kids are dressed as Lord Krishna and some as Radha or Yasodha (Krishna’s mother). Lord Krishna was actually born to Devaki, but he was given to Yasodha, which is why she is considered as his mother.

2. Stories are read to the kids and adults to educate them about the festival. There are also several details about Lord Krishna and his wonders discussed during these sessions. The Bhagwat Gita is read to enlighten people about the teachings of Lord Krishna and his journey on earth.

3. Lastly, everyone prays within their mind and makes a wish at midnight to Lord Krishna.

Krishna Janmashtami is the biggest birthday celebration in the country of India. It is also celebrated outside the country in several parts of the USA where Indian’s reside. Not just Indians but several Americans too believe in Lord Krishna because of his realistic appearance and stories. This worldwide gala birthday is extremely exceptional.