Krishna Janmashtami 1963
Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.
Festival days follow the classical attribution rules — udaya (sunrise), pradosha (evening), nishita (midnight), madhyahna or aparahna vyapini as each festival prescribes — computed for Kashi/Varanasi (IST). Regional observance can differ by a day in some years.
Read the Krishna Janmashtami puja vidhi, vrat rules and kathaKrishna Janmashtami — Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Janmashtami puja performed at midnight?
Krishna is held to have been born at midnight under Rohini nakshatra, so the puja is kept for nishita kaal rather than the morning. The fast is broken after it.
Why do Janmashtami dates sometimes differ by a day?
Smarta tradition follows the Ashtami tithi at midnight; Vaishnava tradition may additionally require Rohini nakshatra, and observes udaya-tithi rules differently. When the two do not coincide, the observances separate by a day.
What can be eaten during the Janmashtami fast?
Fruit, milk, curd, water and vrat flours such as kuttu and singhara. Grains, onion and garlic are avoided until the fast is completed the next morning.
Other major festivals in 1963
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 1963
- Vasant Panchami — 30 January 1963
- Maha Shivaratri — 22 February 1963
- Holika Dahan — 9 March 1963
- Holi — 11 March 1963
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 26 March 1963
- Ram Navami — 2 April 1963
- Akshaya Tritiya — 26 April 1963
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 23 June 1963
- Guru Purnima — 6 July 1963
- Nag Panchami — 25 July 1963
- Raksha Bandhan — 5 August 1963
- Hartalika Teej — 22 August 1963
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 23 August 1963
- Anant Chaturdashi — 2 September 1963
- Pitru Paksha begins — 4 September 1963
- Sharad Navratri begins — 18 September 1963
- Durga Ashtami — 26 September 1963
- Maha Navami — 27 September 1963
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 28 September 1963
- Hindu Festivals 1963 →