Krishna Janmashtami 2023
Krishna's birth at midnight — Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami prevailing at nishita.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:40
- Nishita puja (midnight)23:33 – 00:21
- Fasting window (tithi)15:40 → 2023-09-07 · 16:16
- Parana (tithi ends)16:162023-09-07
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 2023
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 2023
- Vasant Panchami — 26 January 2023
- Maha Shivaratri — 18 February 2023
- Holika Dahan — 6 March 2023
- Holi — 8 March 2023
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 22 March 2023
- Ram Navami — 30 March 2023
- Akshaya Tritiya — 22 April 2023
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 20 June 2023
- Guru Purnima — 3 July 2023
- Nag Panchami — 21 August 2023
- Raksha Bandhan — 31 August 2023
- Hartalika Teej — 18 September 2023
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 19 September 2023
- Anant Chaturdashi — 28 September 2023
- Pitru Paksha begins — 30 September 2023
- Sharad Navratri begins — 15 October 2023
- Durga Ashtami — 22 October 2023
- Maha Navami — 23 October 2023
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 24 October 2023
- Karwa Chauth — 1 November 2023
- Dhanteras — 10 November 2023
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 12 November 2023
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 12 November 2023
- Govardhan Puja — 14 November 2023
- Bhai Dooj — 15 November 2023
- Chhath Puja — 19 November 2023
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 27 November 2023
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 27 November 2023
- Hindu Festivals 2023 →