Krishna Janmashtami 2012
Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:41
- Nishita puja (midnight)23:32 – 00:20
- Fasting window (tithi)05:32 → 2012-09-09 · 07:58
- Parana (tithi ends)07:582012-09-09
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 2012
- Makar Sankranti — 15 January 2012
- Vasant Panchami — 28 January 2012
- Maha Shivaratri — 20 February 2012
- Holika Dahan — 7 March 2012
- Holi — 9 March 2012
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 23 March 2012
- Ram Navami — 1 April 2012
- Akshaya Tritiya — 24 April 2012
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 21 June 2012
- Guru Purnima — 3 July 2012
- Nag Panchami — 24 July 2012
- Raksha Bandhan — 2 August 2012
- Hartalika Teej — 18 September 2012
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 19 September 2012
- Anant Chaturdashi — 29 September 2012
- Pitru Paksha begins — 1 October 2012
- Sharad Navratri begins — 16 October 2012
- Durga Ashtami — 22 October 2012
- Maha Navami — 23 October 2012
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 24 October 2012
- Karwa Chauth — 2 November 2012
- Dhanteras — 11 November 2012
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 13 November 2012
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 13 November 2012
- Govardhan Puja — 14 November 2012
- Bhai Dooj — 15 November 2012
- Chhath Puja — 19 November 2012
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 28 November 2012
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 28 November 2012
- Hindu Festivals 2012 →