Janmashtami celebrations at home

The reincarnated of Lord Vishnu is celebrated as Janmashtami or Krishnashtami all over India. The historical background of the birth of lord Krishna depicts the significance of this Hindu festival. Lord Krishna is said to have been born on the midnight of the eighth day of Hindu lunar month, Shravana. Though I was not able to celebrate Krishnajayanti the traditional way of reciting a whole lot of slokas and mantras, reading versus from the Bhagwat Gita, I did make it a point to keep my family attached to our roots.

Despite hectic working schedules, I made it a point this time to make some sweets and savouries for the pooja. This is my first Krishna pooja after marriage. A day prior to Janmashtami, I made some ribbon pokodas (a form of muruku/ chakli in hindi), sweet appams and coconut burfi. It took me a solid three and half hours to complete this exercise. I managed to do this after office that’s between 9.00pm & 11.30pm. After effects of standing in the kitchen for three hours can now be felt in my body….lol!

Then on the day of Janmashtami, that’s 13th Aug, I performed the pooja in the evening, again after office, with some traditional Aval Payasam, which is said to be Lord Krishna’s favourite.

My simple evening pooja comprised of butter, curd and some fruits along with the sweets I had prepared. I managed to recollect some of the Carnatic and Hindustani songs I had learned long long ago and sung them all. I beautifully decorated my baby Krishna with some jewellery and flowers. Oh… the idol looked so divine and real!

It was a great evening to have the entire family around (but only in-laws) for the pooja. While work is making life extremely hectic, such celebration really lightens the heart and relaxes the mind. Spending time in prayers and following a little bit of your own traditional practices can be a great stress buster and help us stay connected to our roots. Hmmm … after effects are always there!!!