India is rich in culture and festivals. So one of the major festivals in India is Janmashtami. The term Janmashtmi forms from a mixture of two expressions: Janma represents birth, and Ashtami represents eight in Sanskrit.
Janmashtami is a Hindu festival, and lord Krishna was born that day. Janmashtami was also known as Krishna Ashtami, Gokul Ashtami, etc. Lord Kanha was the eighth Avatar of noble Vishnu. Not only in India but the Janmashtami celebration worldwide.
Per the Hindu lunisolar calendar, Janmashtami celebrates the Krishna paksha Ashtami of Shravan Mas. And according to the Gregorian calendar, it was celebrated in August or September. The ritual to celebrate Janmashtami was very different from other festivals, like the next day, the celebration of the Dahi handi program, kite flying, etc.
Janmashtmi forms from a mixture of two expressions: Janma represents birth, and Ashtami represents eight in Sanskrit.
Per the Hindu lunisolar calendar, Janmashtami celebrates the Krishna paksha Ashtami of Shravan Mas.
Janmashtami was very different from other festivals, like the next day, the celebration of the Dahi handi program, kite flying, etc.
Janmashtami is the most prominent festival for Hindus because, on that day, the birthday of Krishna is celebrated. Several names, like Kanha, Makhanchor, Nandlal, Bansi wale, etc., are Lord Krishna's popular names. He was the son of Vasudev Anakadundubhi and devki. Janmashtami festival celebrates when lord Kanha considers having been born as per Hindu tradition.
At midnight on the 8th day of Bhadrapada or the twenty-third day of Shravan Mah in Mathura, which coincides with the end of August and starting September. He was born in imprisonment, and when he was born, oppression was rampant, denying freedom. Evil was everywhere when his life was threatened by his uncle and the king of Mathura Kans.
As soon as Krishna was born, his father immediately took him across the Yamuna river. To be raised in Gokul by parents named Yashoda and Nand, who were Vasudev's sister-in-law and brother. Apart from lord Krishna, an incarnation of the Serpent Shesha also took birth on the earth in the form of Balram, the elder brother of Krishna and the son of Vasudev's first wife, Rohini.
The words in Bhagavad Gita (a holy book narrated by lord Vishnu) mention that whenever evil rules and Dharma declines, I will come to kill evil and save well. The main importance of Janmashtami is to encourage goodwill and discourage ill will. Also, Janmashtami symbolises faith and unity because, on that holy occasion, people bring together and do chanting.
The devotees celebrated Janmashtami by chanting, fasting, preparing special dishes, night vigils, and visiting Vishnu and Krishna temples. Just because Krishna was born at midnight, the devotees and birth forms of the infant Krishna are bathed and dressed, then placed in a cradle after midnight.
After it, people break their fast by eating sweets and food. In the North Indian region, the people decorate their houses, and a special dance program is organised known as Krishna Leela or Raslila. The ritual of Raslila is particularly famous in the Mathura area, in the northeastern state of India, like Assam, Manipur, and some parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Rasleela's function is organised by several amateur performers encouraged by their local community. The play begins a few days before the Janmashtami festival.
Apart from Raslila, Dahi handi was also the most popular ritual. A pot filled with yoghurt, butter, or other milk-based items was hanging at a sufficient or tall height. Then the young people make the team and form a huge pyramid to break the pot. And to encourage the team members, the organisers keep some prizes.
Dahi Handi celebrates the next day of Janmashtami; The motive behind this is that Lord Krishna is very fond of curd, butter, and other milk products. For this reason, he and his friends went to the village to steal these items; For this reason, people called him Makhanchor.