Chapter I
What it celebrates
The Bhagavata Purana tells that Kamsa, the tyrant king of Mathura, heard a prophecy that the eighth son of his sister Devaki would kill him. He threw Devaki and her husband Vasudeva into prison and killed her newborn children one by one. When the eighth, Krishna, was born at midnight, the guards fell asleep and the prison doors opened. Vasudeva carried the baby across the flooded Yamuna to the village of Gokul, where the cowherd Nanda and his wife Yashoda raised him.
Krishna’s childhood among the cowherds of Vraja, stealing butter, playing the flute and dancing with the gopis, is among the most loved stories of Hindu devotion. Janmashtami celebrates both the god who comes to restore dharma and the child who delights his devotees.
Chapter II
How it is kept
Many devotees fast through the day, some without water. Temples and homes are decorated, and the image of the infant Krishna is placed in a cradle. At midnight, the moment of his birth, conch shells sound, the image is bathed in milk, curds, honey and water, dressed in new clothes and rocked while hymns are sung; then sweets made of milk and butter are shared and the fast is broken.
Through the night, devotees sing bhajans, read the Bhagavata Purana and stage plays of Krishna’s life, the raslila. The next day, Nandotsava, celebrates the joy of Nanda at his son’s birth.
Chapter III
Around the world
Mathura and Vrindavan, the land of Krishna’s birth and childhood, draw huge crowds. In Mumbai and across Maharashtra the dahi handi competitions turn streets into arenas. ISKCON temples from London to Los Angeles hold all-night celebrations, and Hindu communities from Nepal to Fiji keep the vigil.