The Dahi Handi festival is a symbol of the cheerful spirit of Lord Krishna’s time at Nanda Gokul and how he led the community of young men and children towards a higher spiritual pursuit, along with their games, in nature’s lap.
Janmashtami celebrations. News 18
Dahi Handi is a very popular festival organised in the cities of Maharashtra. Dahi Handi is marked on the next day of Krishna Janmashtami and is also popularly known as Gokulashtami. Handi (earthen pots) are used for keeping milk products like butter, milk, curd, etc. The Dahi Handi festival is a symbol of the cheerful spirit of Lord Krishna’s time at Nanda Gokul and how he led the community of young men and children towards a higher spiritual pursuit, along with their games, in nature’s lap. Devotees celebrate the festival with great zeal and it is believed that the Janmashtami celebration is incomplete without the Dahi Handi ritual. Dahi Handi is also called Gopal Kala or Utlotsavam. It is one of the biggest festivals that Maharashtrians identify themselves with. The sound of ‘Govinda Ala re!’ harmoniously clubbed with the spirit of the Dahi Handi, making the occasion a grand one.
What is inside the Handi?
The Dahi Handi festival is celebrated across the country. The rituals of Dahi Handi hold special significance for the people of Gujarat and Maharashtra who celebrate the occasion with pomp and fervour. The earthen pot filled with dahi (curd), ghee, sweets, makhan (butter), and nuts is hung at a height of about 30 ft from the ground.
Then, a group of people make a human pyramid to reach the handi and break it. Besides a normal celebration, a Dahi Handi competition is also organised, where multiple teams participate and compete with one another to win the competition.
When is the celebration taking place this year?
As per the Vedic Panchang, the Ashtami tithi will start on 18 August at 9:21 PM and conclude on 19 August at 10:59 PM. Therefore, Krishna Janmashtami will be celebrated on 18 August and the Dahi Handi will be celebrated a day later.
Janmashtami is marked on the eighth day of the Hindu month of Shravan as the birthday of Lord Krishna, who was believed to be Lord Vishnu’s incarnation. Devotees observe a fast and pray at midnight, the time when Lord Krishna was born. As per the Hindu mythology, Krishna and his friends used to make human pyramids to break pots hung from the ceilings of the houses in the neighbourhood, so as to steal curd and butter in Vrindavan.
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