Janmashtami is a grand affair in our country. It marks the essence of celebrating the birth of Bal Gopal and his mischievous childhood. Lord Krishna holds an important place in our hearts and you really can’t miss the festive fervour and delight of Krishna birthday celebrations.
This Indian festival is celebrated in the months of August/September, this festival marks the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna – Janmashtami. The Dahi Handi ritual is based on the legend of the child-god Krishna stealing butter along with his friends; hence the festival derived its name – dahi: curd, handi: earthen pot. The tradition involves making a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot filled with curd tied at a height. The height of the pyramids lies in between 18-20 feet, it turns to be 4-5 level of human pyramids.
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This is ritual is very popular Mumbai, the city is filled with a joyous ambience for this festival as it is a wondrous and amusing event enjoyed by everyone – children to adults. In schools, it is a lovely sight to see little boys and girls dressed up as Lord Krishna and Radha to mark the celebration of this festive time.
Dahi handi ritual comes to happen on the next day of Janmashtami, people play games and people perform dances depicting the various events in Lord Krishna’s life. Also known as Gokulashtami, this is the best time of the year to visit and marvel the festivities in the versatile city of Mumbai.
The coming of Govinda is grand in Mumbai and the Dahi handi is something not to be missed here. While most of the celebrations involve staying up all night and singing hymns in honour of Bal Gopal, forming human pyramids and attempting to break the pot of curds is a special part of celebrations in Mumbai.
The religious fervour depicting the birth of adorable ‘Bal Gopal’ remains the same wherever you travel but the diverse nature of celebrating this festival ties us with the bond of love and devotion. Later Dahikala (ingredients in the pot) is distributed among everyone. Dahi Handi celebration encourages working in a team, thus signifies the importance of teamwork. This festival is a way of reliving the mischief and pranks played by Lord Krishna.
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