Krishna Janmashtami 2009
Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:30
- Nishita puja (midnight)23:39 – 00:27
- Fasting window (tithi)13:03 → 2009-08-14 · 11:52
- Parana (tithi ends)11:522009-08-14
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 2009
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 2009
- Vasant Panchami — 31 January 2009
- Maha Shivaratri — 23 February 2009
- Holika Dahan — 10 March 2009
- Holi — 12 March 2009
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 27 March 2009
- Ram Navami — 3 April 2009
- Akshaya Tritiya — 27 April 2009
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 24 June 2009
- Guru Purnima — 7 July 2009
- Nag Panchami — 26 July 2009
- Raksha Bandhan — 5 August 2009
- Hartalika Teej — 23 August 2009
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 23 August 2009
- Anant Chaturdashi — 3 September 2009
- Pitru Paksha begins — 5 September 2009
- Sharad Navratri begins — 19 September 2009
- Durga Ashtami — 26 September 2009
- Maha Navami — 27 September 2009
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 28 September 2009
- Karwa Chauth — 7 October 2009
- Dhanteras — 15 October 2009
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 17 October 2009
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 17 October 2009
- Govardhan Puja — 19 October 2009
- Bhai Dooj — 20 October 2009
- Chhath Puja — 24 October 2009
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 2 November 2009
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 2 November 2009
- Hindu Festivals 2009 →