Krishna Janmashtami 2014
Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:32
- Nishita puja (midnight)23:38 – 00:26
- Fasting window (tithi)05:58 → 2014-08-18 · 06:08
- Parana (tithi ends)06:082014-08-18
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 2014
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 2014
- Vasant Panchami — 4 February 2014
- Maha Shivaratri — 27 February 2014
- Holika Dahan — 16 March 2014
- Holi — 17 March 2014
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 31 March 2014
- Ram Navami — 8 April 2014
- Akshaya Tritiya — 1 May 2014
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 29 June 2014
- Guru Purnima — 12 July 2014
- Nag Panchami — 1 August 2014
- Raksha Bandhan — 10 August 2014
- Hartalika Teej — 28 August 2014
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 29 August 2014
- Anant Chaturdashi — 8 September 2014
- Pitru Paksha begins — 9 September 2014
- Sharad Navratri begins — 25 September 2014
- Durga Ashtami — 2 October 2014
- Maha Navami — 3 October 2014
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 3 October 2014
- Karwa Chauth — 11 October 2014
- Dhanteras — 21 October 2014
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 22 October 2014
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 23 October 2014
- Govardhan Puja — 24 October 2014
- Bhai Dooj — 25 October 2014
- Chhath Puja — 29 October 2014
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 6 November 2014
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 6 November 2014
- Hindu Festivals 2014 →