Krishna Janmashtami 2008
Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:35
- Nishita puja (midnight)23:37 – 00:25
- Fasting window (tithi)18:30 → 2008-08-24 · 16:17
- Parana (tithi ends)16:172008-08-24
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 2008
- Makar Sankranti — 15 January 2008
- Vasant Panchami — 11 February 2008
- Maha Shivaratri — 6 March 2008
- Holika Dahan — 21 March 2008
- Holi — 22 March 2008
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 7 April 2008
- Ram Navami — 13 April 2008
- Akshaya Tritiya — 7 May 2008
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 4 July 2008
- Guru Purnima — 18 July 2008
- Nag Panchami — 6 August 2008
- Raksha Bandhan — 16 August 2008
- Hartalika Teej — 2 September 2008
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 3 September 2008
- Anant Chaturdashi — 14 September 2008
- Pitru Paksha begins — 16 September 2008
- Sharad Navratri begins — 30 September 2008
- Durga Ashtami — 7 October 2008
- Maha Navami — 8 October 2008
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 9 October 2008
- Karwa Chauth — 17 October 2008
- Dhanteras — 26 October 2008
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 27 October 2008
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 28 October 2008
- Govardhan Puja — 29 October 2008
- Bhai Dooj — 31 October 2008
- Chhath Puja — 4 November 2008
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 13 November 2008
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 13 November 2008
- Hindu Festivals 2008 →