| Festival:
Krishna Janmashthami |
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What
You Need To Know About Janmashthami
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How
do Hindus celebrate Janmashthami - the birthday of Lord Krishna? The devotees
of Lord Krishna observe fast for the whole day and night, worshipping him
and keeping vigil through the night while listening to his tales and exploits,
recite hymns from the Gita, sing devotional
songs, and chant the mantra Om namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.
Krishna's birthplace Mathura and Vrindavan celebrate this occasion with great
pomp and show. Raslilas or religious plays are performed to recreate
incidents from the life of Krishna and to commemorate
his love for Radha.
Song
and dance mark the celebration of this festive occasion all over northern India.
At midnight, the statue of infant Krishna is bathed and placed in a cradle,
which is rocked, amidst the blowing of conch shells and the ringing of bells.
In the south western
state of Maharashtra, people enact the god's childhood attempts to steal butter
and curd from earthen pots beyond his reach. A similar pot is suspended high
above the ground and groups of young people form humans pyramids to try and
reach the pot and break it.
The town of Dwarka
in Gujarat, Krishna's own land, comes alive with major celebrations as hordes
of visitors flock to the town.
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