Krishna Janmashtami 2022: Festival over two days this time; see dates & timings
India is all set to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami, the festival which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
This year the festival will be celebrated over two days – August 18 and August 19. As per reports, this year will be celebrated as the 5,249th birth anniversary of Lord Krishna.
Legend
The legend says that Lord Krishna, the human incarnation of Lord Vishnu (one of the three of the holy Hindu Trinity) was born on this day to destroy Mathura’s evil king, Kamsa, the brother of Krishna’s mother, Devaki.
Per a prophecy, King Kansa was to die at the hands of Devaki’s eighth child, Krishna. Hearing the prophecy, Kamsa captivated Devaki and Vasudeva (father of Krishna). While Kansa was bent on killing the eighth child, Krishna was rescued by his father who left him in the care of his foster parents – Nand Baba and Yashodha in Vrindavan.
Later, Krishna grew up in Vrindavan and eventually killed his uncle.
Customs and rituals
The festival is celebrated with great extravagance in Mathura and Vrindavan, supposedly Lord Krishna’s birthplace.
Temples are decked with flowers and colourful lights. Devotees perform a special dance called Raslila to recreate Krishna’s life and celebrate his love for Radha.
During the midnight hour, child idols of Lord Krishna are bathed and placed in cradles.
Celebrations across country
In Maharashtra, the festival is celebrated as ‘Dahi Handi’ which means an “earthen pot of yoghurt”.
Imitating the legend when Lord Krishna as a child used to form human pyramids to steal the yoghurt purposefully kept out of his reach, the men in Maharashtra go around these hanging pots of yoghurt, climbing one over another and forming a human pyramid, then break the pot.
In Gujarat, a similar tradition is observed but yoghurt gives way to churned butter.
In Tamil Nadu, people are seen decorating their floor with decorative patterns drawn with rice batter.
