Krishna janmashtami marks the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, the
eight divine incarnation. It is regarded as one of the most important
festivals of the Hindus. It is believed that Lord Krishna was born at
midnight. People observe fast without water on this day, which is broken
at midnight. At Mathura the birth place of lord Krishna special
spiritual gatherings are organized, which is attained by Krishna
devotees around the country and abroad. They spend the day immersed in
Shri Krishna's glory by reading, reciting and singing his divine leela
especially in the evening in temples. At midnight, the Lord's birth
hour, there is a grand worship of lord Krishna. The lord is bathed with
milk while His Name is chanted 108 times. Arti is performed and
offerings of flowers are made. He is also installed in the form of
'Lalji' (child form) in a swing and devotionally offered many sumptuous
food dishes.
Various kinds of sweets are made to offer Gokunandan on this day.
Murukku and Seeddai are prepared in TamilNadu. Eatables made of Milk and
curd are prepared to make offerings to Lord Krishna 'Makhan' (butter) is
especially included since Shri Krishna loved this in childhood. The
traditional prasad is 'Panchajiri' made of five ingredients: powdered
ginger, 'suva', coriander, sugar and ghee. Other ingredients include
poppy seeds (khaskhas) and dessicated coconut shavings. Grand havens are
performed in various temples on this day. After all the rituals are over
holy prasad are distributed among the devotees and they are blessed by
the divine grace of Lord Krishna. Whole day the devotees jubilantly sing
and hail kirtans in the name of the holy Lord. Devotion is the only
means of attaining lord Krishna. Dedication and love for the lord. When
love is directed towards Krishna, man is freed from the bondage of the
world.
