Wed, 2 Sept · Next festival
Krishna Janmashtami is in 2 days.
Krishna's birth, kept through a day of fasting and a puja at midnight. The cradle is rocked, and the fast is broken after.
Krishna Janmashtami · the shape of the day
Everything turns on midnight.
Krishna is born at midnight, so the puja is held at nishita kaal — the window either side of 12 am. The exact window shifts with your city; check a local panchang rather than a national one.
- 1The fastThrough the day
Most keep a fast from sunrise, taking no grain. Fruit, milk, and singhara or rajgira flour are the usual allowances.
- 2Bathe and dress the murtiEvening
The Laddu Gopal is bathed, dressed, and laid in the jhula. Children draw small footprints from the doorway to the altar, so the child can find his way in.
- 3The birthMidnight
Abhishekam with milk, curd, honey, ghee, and sugar. Then the aarti, the conch, and the cradle is rocked.
- 4Break the fastAfter
Makhan-mishri first, then panjiri and the rest of the prasad shared around.
Where it is kept differently
- Maharashtra and GujaratDahi handi the following day — the curd pot strung high and broken by a human pyramid.
- Mathura and VrindavanJhulan and raas performances through the week leading up to it.
- Tamil NaduKept as Gokulashtami: kolam footprints from the threshold, with seedai and murukku offered.
Never miss a date again
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Understand the why
All guidesPlain explanations of what each ritual is for, written so you can follow them the first time.
- Reading a panchangFive limbs, one sunrise-to-sunrise day, and why two calendars can disagree by a day.
- Diwali Lakshmi puja at homeThe evening's order of service, the muhurta that matters, and what to prepare the day before.
- How to set up a home altarDirection, height, and the six things that actually matter — a setup you can keep up daily.
Festival dates for every part of India, the shape of each day, and what it needs. Dates are checked by hand. Where regional traditions differ, both are noted rather than one being presented as correct.