Janmashtami 2023: When is Krishna Janmashtami 2023? Date, Time And All You Need to Know

Krishna Janmashtami 2023, also called Janmashtami and Gokulashtami is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.

Janmashtami is celebrated on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksha (Moon's setting phase) or the 8th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada. This usually falls in August or September.

Janmashtami 2023: When is Krishna Janmashtami 2023? Date, Time And All You Need to Know | Freepik

When is Janmashtami 2023?

This year Krishna Janmashtami will be celebrated on Wednesday, September 6, and Thursday, September 7.

Every year, Shri Krishna Janmashtami falls on a different date. There are usually two consecutive days devoted to Krishna Janmashtami. The first one is for Smarta Sampradaya and the other one is for Vaishnava Sampradaya.

Janmashtami in 2023: Date & Time

Usually celebrated sometime in the month of August or September, according to the Gregorian calendar, this year Krishna Janmashtami has fallen on September 7, Thursday.

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Janmashtami 2023: When is Krishna Janmashtami 2023? Date, Time And All You Need to Know

Why does Janmashtami celebrate for 2 days? Know Smarta & Vaishnav Janmashtami

Krishna is one of the most popular deities in Hinduism and is worshipped by Hindus all over the world. He is known for his love, compassion, and playful nature. Krishna is also seen as a symbol of hope and redemption.

However Krishna Janmashtami is usually celebrated for two days, the first one is for Smarta Sampradaya and other one is for Vaishanava Sampradaya. Vaishanava Sampradaya date is the latter one. A single date for Janmashtami means that both Sampradaya would observe Janmashtami on the same date.

Vaishnava Sampradaya and Smarta Sampradaya are two sects specifically. When the Janmashtami date is frequent then each Vaishnava Sampradaya and Smarta Sampradaya observe the identical date and celebrate on the identical day. But when the dates are totally different then Smarta sect celebrates on the primary date and Vaishnava sect celebrates on a later date.

Janmashtami 2023: When is Krishna Janmashtami 2023? Date, Time And All You Need to Know | Freepik

Smarta followers who understand the difference between Smarta and Vaishnava sectarian don¡¯t follow the ISKCON date to observe Janmashtami fasting. Unfortunately, the ISKCON date to observe Janmashtami is unanimously followed in Braj region and most common people who just follow the buzz observe it on the date followed by the ISKCON.

The followers of Vaishnavism give preference to Ashtami Tithi and Rohini Nakshatra. The followers of Vaishnavism never observe Janmashtami on Saptami Tithi. Janmashtami day according to Vaishnava rules always fall on Ashtami or Navami Tithi on Hindu calendar.

However rules followed by Smartism to decide Janmashtami day are more complex. The preference is given to Nishita or Hindu midnight. The preference is given to the day, either Saptami Tithi or Ashtami Tithi, when Ashtami Tithi prevails during Nishita and further rules are added to include Rohini Nakshatra. The final consideration is given to the day which has the most auspicious combination of Ashtami Tithi and Rohini Nakshatra during Nishita time. Janmashtami day according to Smarta rules always fall on Saptami or Ashtami Tithi on Hindu calendar.

Krishna Janmashtami Rituals

To celebrate the day, Krishna temples are decorated; processions are taken out, while religious sites dedicated to the Blue God see a host of bhajans and kirtans taking place along with satsangs. Many places host dance-drama enactments of the life of Krishna according to the Bhagavata Purana, devotional singing through the midnight when Krishna was born, fasting (upavasa), a night vigil (ratri jagaran), and a festival (mahotsava) the following day to celebrate His birth.

For Janmashtami, Lord Krishna's idols are cleaned and decorated with news clothes and ornaments. The idol is placed in a cradle to symbolise his birth. Women also draw tiny foot prints outside their house doors and kitchen, walking towards their house, a symbolism for Krishna's journey into their homes.

Janmashtami 2023: When is Krishna Janmashtami 2023? Date, Time And All You Need to Know | Freepik

Notably, Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated mainly in Mathura and Vrindavan, along with other places where devotees of Krishna reside, or where Vaishnava communities reside like Manipur, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India where devotees reside. Krishna Janmashtami is followed by the festival Nandotsav.

According to scriptures, Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, was believed to have been born to Devaki and her husband, King Vasudeva of the Yadava clan in Nathdwara at a time of chaos, when the earth was reeling under the torment of King Kamsa, his maternal uncle. When he grows up, he overthrows and kills the tyrant king, his uncle Kamsa/Kansa after quelling several assassination attempts by the monarch and later on goes on to feature in the Hindu epic Mahabharata as a central character as well.

Krishna Janmashtami Date For the Next 5 Years

(Note: Dates/timings may be subject to change; details mentioned here are as per the information available.

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