Celebration Of Krishna Janmashtami Around The World

The festival of Janmashtami is celebrated all around the world with great devotion and enthusiasm since it is the birthday of Lord Krishna. On this festival you will see people thronging Krishna temples and the air will be filled with his songs and chants. Children are also seen in attires of Krishna and Radha, competitions held across the world also add to the joy of the festival.

So here we give you a brief as to how this beautiful festival of Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated all around the world. From across seas, you will find en number of Krishna devotees praying and celebrating this day with joy.

Lets take a look on how Janmashtami is celebrated around the world.

In Nepal
Lord Krishna has a number of followers in Kathmandu which is the capital city of Nepal. On this special occasion of Krishna Janmashtami you will see numerous devotees of Krishna who flock to the ancient Krishna temple which is situated in old Patan Durbar Square. In this temple, the devotes of Lord Krishna chant hymns to welcome Lord's birth. The women too chant the names of the Lord Narayan, Narayan' and Gopal, Gopal' in the temple. They also engage in offering flowers, special food, sweet recipes and coins.

In Canada
Canada which is considered to be a globally recognised country is well-known for its outstanding quality of life. On one hand the Indian community which is a large number in Canada rejoices the birth of Lord Krishna annually with a lot of gaiety and enthusiasm. The Krishna devotees organise various functions to celebrate the festival at the Richmond Hill temple. Here the temple devotees gather around the idol of Krishna and chant mantras and prayers. The festival creates an atmosphere of nostalgia among the Indian community who reside in Canada. The temple societies hold musical concerts to promote Krishna Janmashtami and almost every Indian in and around the region attend these concerts.

In France
The city of France nestles one of the seven wonders of the world, the Eiffel Tower. Every year, the festival of Janmashtami is celebrated with joy and devotion in a small village near the French Capital, Paris. The Janmashtami festivities begin in the evening and is continued till the wee hours of the morning prior to the date. One of the main celebrations which is seen in France in the bathing of Lord Krishna's and Radha's idols amidst a lot of chanting and prayers which is performed by the Krishna devotees in temples.

In Singapore
The meaning of Singapore means Singapura - Lion City in Sanskrit text. On this auspicious day of Krishna Janmashtami, people of various nationalities celebrates the festival with lot of fervour . A place commonly called as Little India which is located on Seragoon Road comes alive with Janmashtami decorations, selling of Janmashtami puja accessories and other such items related to the festival. The Shree Lakshmi Narayan temple that is situated on Chander Road in Singapore celebrates Krishna Janmashtami with day long programme. There are other local temples which also organise a number of cultural programmes to mark the Lord's birth. One of the unique features of these celebrations in Singapore is the 'Krishna chanting competition' where a lot of Indians in Singapore are a part of.

In Malaysia
One would be surprised to see a large number of Krishna devotees in Malaysia. The capital, Kuala Lumpur celebrates Krishna Janmashtami on a large scale where around 6000 people line the temple to see the worship. Amongst this there are dramas, bhajans, chants and spiritual discourses which takes place to commemorate the Janmashtami festival. The Indian community in Malaysia, celebrates the festival with a lot of ceremonies too which take place starting with the bathing of Lord Krishna's idol at midnight. It is then followed by darshans and distribution of Prasad. Temples resound with continuous chanting and hymns the whole day.

In Unites States Of America
In the United States of America, the festival of Janmashtami is celebrated in grandeur. There are a number of programmes which is organised where the arti is performed followed by the kirtans. Devotees of Krishna chant the Sona na mor jhule Nanda-Kishore and Nand gher anand bhayo, Jai Kanaiyalal ki as the infant form of Krishna is cradled in a beautifully decorated swing. This brings a change in the atmosphere with devotion and divinity. You will also be accompanied by the rhythm of the tabla and melodies of the harmonium. Indian American youths also sing devotional songs in Gujarati and Hindi in celebrating Balgopal glory.

In India
Here in India, the birthday of Shree Krishna is celebrated with family and friends who take part in a number of festivities. On this day, you will see homes which will be decorated with footprints made from flour and water, to symbolise Krishna's childhood sport of stealing butter from houses. The houses will also be decorated with balloons, festoons of leaves, flower garlands etc. The children also enjoy this festival by dressing up as Radha, Krishna and their associates. The family get together helps to create a very festive mood.

These are some of the ways in which the festival of Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated all around the world. How are you planning to celebrate Janmashtami this year?