Krishna Janmashtami 2004
Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:40
- Nishita puja (midnight)23:32 – 00:20
- Fasting window (tithi)07:40 → 2004-09-07 · 09:59
- Parana (tithi ends)09:592004-09-07
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 2004
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 2004
- Vasant Panchami — 26 January 2004
- Maha Shivaratri — 18 February 2004
- Holika Dahan — 6 March 2004
- Holi — 7 March 2004
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 21 March 2004
- Ram Navami — 30 March 2004
- Akshaya Tritiya — 22 April 2004
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 19 June 2004
- Guru Purnima — 2 July 2004
- Nag Panchami — 21 August 2004
- Raksha Bandhan — 30 August 2004
- Hartalika Teej — 17 September 2004
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 18 September 2004
- Anant Chaturdashi — 27 September 2004
- Pitru Paksha begins — 29 September 2004
- Sharad Navratri begins — 15 October 2004
- Durga Ashtami — 21 October 2004
- Maha Navami — 22 October 2004
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 22 October 2004
- Karwa Chauth — 31 October 2004
- Dhanteras — 10 November 2004
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 11 November 2004
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 12 November 2004
- Govardhan Puja — 13 November 2004
- Bhai Dooj — 14 November 2004
- Chhath Puja — 17 November 2004
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 26 November 2004
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 26 November 2004
- Hindu Festivals 2004 →