Krishna Janmashtami/Krishna Jayanthi Celebration At Home-Pooja Procedures

Yesterday I got a request from a reader to make Krishna Janmashtami celebration post.So I have discussed how to celebrate Krishna Jayanthi/Gokulashtami/Krishna Janmashtami at home by Indians along with a video on how to draw Krishna feet using rice flour paste.Pooja procedures i have shared here is based on my family's tradition.It may vary from place to place.So take this as a reference & get the guidance from your family's elders.As you all know,Krishna Jayanthi is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Krishna.It’s a most important & sacred day for Hindus.People pray to Lord Krishna on this day and seek his blessings for a happy and good life.Krishna Janmashtami is observed on Ashtami – the eighth day of Krishna Paksha month/Shravana month i.e between mid August & early September.This year it falls on August 25, 2016 - Thursday evening.It is celebrated all over India.In Tamil nadu,Kerala,Karnataka & North Indian temples,Gokulashtami is celebrated in a grand manner.Festivities begin before dawn and extend all day until midnight, the exact moment of the anniversary of Krishna’s appearance.Many people observe fasting on this day.But we don't have that practice.At home,we do the pooja only in the evening i.e after 6 pm.On those days,my MIL used to do the pooja around 11 pm at night.So its better to do the pooja anytime after 6 pm till midnight.Midnight is the exact time that Krishna appeared on this planet, so it is most auspicious and spiritually inspiring.Temples prepare at least one hundred and eight different food dishes on Janmashtami. At home,pooja is done by offering flowers,neivedyam recipes like Cheedai , murukku, laddu, appam , payasam/Kheer etc and  performing Mangala aarti to Lord Krishna Idol or photo. If you are not able to prepare all these dishes,don’t worry - Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, “If you offer Me with love a leaf, flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” So offer whatever you can—it’s just your love and devotion that matters.
Source : www.krishna.com

Please click here for the full collection of Krishna Janmashtami recipes of my blog ! I have also shared a No cook Aval panchamirtham recipe with fruits to make a simple neivedyam.
Visit my in-laws blog for kolam ideas.

NEIVEDYAM RECIPES

• Sweet seedai/Vella Seedai
• Uppu Seedai/Salt seedai
• Kai murukku
• Rice murukku & thattu vadai
• Thattai
• Sweet appam (Deep fried version)
• Sweet appam using paniyaram pan
• Poha Kheer/Choora kheer
• Butter murukku
• Paal payasam
• Vermicelli payasam
• Paal kesari/Milk sheera
• Microwave Rava Kesari
• Home made rice flour
• Homemade urad dal flour
• Ribbon pakoda
• Rava ladoo
• No cook aval panchamirtham
• Aval Payasam
• Aval/Poha Ladoo
• Besan ladoo
• Easy paal kozhukattai

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR POOJA & NEIVEDYAM

• Flowers/Garland for decoration
• Fruits like apple,pomegranate,Orange,banana,guava etc
• One coconut for neivedyam
• Betel leaves & nuts (Vetrilai paaku)
• Oil & ghee to light the lamp
• Rice flour & colors for drawing Rangoli & Krishna feet

To offer in front of GOD

• A small cup of milk,curd,butter,Poha/Aval mixed with jaggery or sugar.

These offerings are must & should even if u don’t prepare the deep fried stuffs.
Ingredients for making neivedyam recipes

• Raw rice & Rice flour ( for making seedai , murukku & paal payasam )
• Sesame seeds & Jeera
• Coconut
• Jaggery ( For vella seedai & appam)
• Banana ( for appam)
• Sugar ( for Milk payasam)
• Milk ( for payasam/Kheer)
• Urad dal & Roasted gram dal ( Pottukadalai ) ( For making seedai,murukku)
• Butter/Ghee for snacks
• Cooking oil ( to deep fry)

HOW TO CELEBRATE KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI

• Do the shopping two days before the festival and finish making the deep fried neivedyam recipes like vella seedai , Uppu seedai , Kai murukku etc on the previous day of festival.Store them in an air tight box after everything cools down completely else they may turn soggy.DO NOT TASTE IT UNTIL YOU FINISH POOJA.
• Wash the lamps and other pooja vessels on the previous day night & keep the turmeric,kumkum dots.Put the threads & oil the lamp.Suppose if u don’t have enough time,u can do this job the next day morning or afternoon as we are going to do the pooja only in the evening after 6 pm.So its your choice.

On Gokulashtami afternoon,Mix the ingredients for sweet appam and make payasam in cooker.Cook the appam around 5.30 pm.Around 4 pm in the evening,sweep the house and entrance.Draw Rangoli in the entrance & in front of the Pooja room. Draw the krishna feet from entrance till pooja room.Decorate the krishna idol by keeping flowers & garland.Make him ready for celebration.
HOW TO DRAW KRISHNA FEET
In many houses in South India, people draw footsteps of Lord Krishna from the entrance of the house to the Puja room. These footsteps are drawn with rice flour paste and drawing these footsteps is a sign of welcoming Lord Krishna home. Women draw patterns of tiny footsteps like those of infant Krishna.

How to draw Krishna Feet - Video

Take a broad plate such that your hands should fit in.Dilute the rice flour adding enough water and make the paste.Do not make it too thick or too thin.Its consistency should be like dosa batter.Now fold your hands as if you are punching someone.Dip your side of the hand in the rice paste.It will be coated with the paste.Now make the impression on the flour.Keep 5 dots for fingers.Draw the right leg first.Repeat the same procedure using your left hand for drawing left leg.Do this alternatively.Draw both the legs together near the entrance & pooja room. Refer the stepwise pictures for clear understanding. For drawing legs of baby Krishna,fold your hands tightly and make the impressions as shown in pics.If you want to draw slightly bigger legs,watch this video.Alternatively,u can ask your kids to make impressions on the floor.They would enjoy doing this and help you out

POOJA
After you finish the decoration & neivedyam preparations i.e after 6 pm, place the decorated Krishna on a plank/Peeta.Offer all the neivedyam recipes,fruits,curd,milk,butter in front of the God.Light the lamp & do the pooja, perform Mangala aarthi.You can sing Krishna songs or read Bhagavad Gita/Sri Krishna Ashtakam OR simply chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya “means “Om, I bow to Lord Vasudeva or Lord Krishna’'in front of the GOD.

The next morning,do the pooja with a simple neivedyam like dry grapes or candy(kalkandu).Remove the idol at a good time ( Avoid Rahu kalam & Yama kandam )

DISCLAIMER : The details I have shared here is purely our family’s method of celebration.It may vary from place to place and traditions.

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