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Festival Calendar

Krishna Janmashtami 2018

Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.

Krishna Janmashtami 2017Krishna Janmashtami 2019
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Krishna Janmashtami 2018 date
Sunday, 2 September 2018
Tithi: Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami
Tithi window: 08:54 PM, Sunday, 2 September 2018 → 07:27 PM, Monday, 3 September 2018
See the full panchang for Sunday, 2 September 2018

Muhurat & timings

Kashi/IST · astronomically computed
  • Sankalp (sunrise)05:39
  • Nishita puja (midnight)23:34 – 00:22
  • Fasting window (tithi)20:54 → 2018-09-03 · 19:27
  • Parana (tithi ends)19:272018-09-03

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 katha

Krishna 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 2018