Ever since I was a child my grandmother used to call me her “Kanha” as I was her younghest grandson and because she adored Lord Krishna who was also called Kanha by her mother and his close ones.

After my grandmother rested in peace, my mother carried on the tradition of celebrating the auspicious birthday of Lord Krishna globally known as Janmashtmi at our home just like my grandmother did.

Janmashtmi is celebrated at 12 am when Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu was born in the jail of King Kans in Mathura. Kans was a cruel King who threw his father in jail for the sake of his throne and to rule on Mathura. With his control over the demons, he even threatened the gods in heaven. Mother Earth and Indra the king of gods approached Lord Vishnu for help to save them from the tortures of Kans. Lord Vishnu was well aware of Kans’s sins and he knew that this was the right time to free Mother Earth and the gods from the cruelty of Kans. Lord Krishna took birth as Krishna, his devotee Sheshnaag took birth as Balram, Krishna’s elder brother, and Mother Earth as Yashoda who later brought up Krishna as a child. Kans was threatened by an oracle that the eighth son of her sister Devki and his brother-in-law Vasudev will be the cause of his death in the future.

Haunted by the oracle Kans immediately prisoned Devki and Vasudev and ordered the guards to keep an eye on them, whenever they give birth to a child inform him as soon as possible. Whenever a child was born Devki Kans arrived in prison and killed the child without mercy. This continued till the night when Krishna was born, Lord Vishnu gave darshan to Devki and Vasudev and told them not to worry because this is born to end the life of Kans and preach to the world about love and devotion. They ordered Vasudev to take Krishna to Gokul where he will be safe in the hands of Nand and Yashoda. After Lord Vishnu vanished a charm took place and all the guards in the prison went to sleep and the shackles of Vasudev fell broken on the ground. The prison gates unlocked automatically and Vasudev kept Krishna in a basket and Gokul barefoot in heavy rain.

Since then it happens every year on the day of Janmashtmi no matter how the weather was the whole month, rainfall is bound to happen on the day of Janmashtmi or around 12 am when Krishna was born signifying change and a ray of hope arriving in complete darkness of night.

Janmashtmi is celebrated on a large scale in India, especially in places that have a direct relationship with Lord Krishna like Mathura where he was born, Vrindavan where he spent his teenage and adulthood, and finally Dwarka where he served as a king to his people. Many regions of India, celebrate the Dahi Haandi festival on Janmashtmi where a group of people stacks up as a tower tries to reach a pot full of milk-churned butter. One person from each group is dressed as Lord Krishna who climbs off everyone’s shoulders to reach up to the pot and break it with coconut.

Dahi Haandi festival is played to signify the notorious yet adorable behavior of Lord Krishna who used to break milk pots in every milkmaid’s house to have some butter. He with his friends climbed on each other’s shoulders to reach to the pots filled with pure milk churned butter, which were tied to the ceiling of the houses to protect them from Lord Krishna. Due to his cute pranks and mischiefs, he was given the name “Makhan Chor” by his close ones and native people.

Janmashtmi preparations start from preparing prasad early morning, roasting coriander seeds, almonds, and fox nuts in desi ghee grinding them together with sugar mixed in it, and garnishing them with coconuts flakes. Maa made another sweet this year for Janmashtmi using cashews, almonds, fox nuts, and coconut flakes shaped in squares using melted rock candy garnished with crushed rock candy bits.

My home temple was decorated with blue colored balloons, and jasmine flowers Lord Krishna got up ready in new clothes, crown with a flute in his hand relaxing on his swing. A giant red colored balloon filled with candies was a sticker to the ceiling to burst with a needle at exactly 12 am when our baby Lord arrives in our world.

It’s 12 am I exclaimed Times Up ! And the balloon showering the rain of candies over my temple gods and goddesses.Bells and hymns are being chanted all around praising Lord Krishna saying “Jai Kanhaiya Laal Ki”.After the aarti is done is I realized that the balloon had to be burst by my baby niece, but anyway its not my fault, after all, it was me who forced maa every year to make arrangements without helping with any arrangements waiting for 12 am to come with a needle in my hand every year when the last ten seconds are left to 12 am a loud phrase is said by all
“Haathi Ghoda Palki Jai Kanhaiya Laal Ki” and the very moment this was said i used to burst the balloon seeing the rain of candies showering all over us as if god had actually arrived there.

After eating the delicious prasad a cucumber was sliced from the middle signifying a mother’s womb from which Lord Krishna is born. Even after the aarti is over everyone had left to sleep, I went out on the veranda its around 1 am still I can hear hymns, bells, and chanting of mantras.Mid of the night such positive energy cannnot be experienced any other day except Janmashtmi.