How We Celebrate Sri Krishna Jeyanthi At Our Home

How We Celebrate Sri Krishna Jeyanthi At Our Home

 

India is famous for its cultural and traditional richness of festivals and celebrations. We, our family love the second half of every year since those six months are full of many festivals. I personally love to celebrate many festivals like Maha Shiva Rathri, Krishna Jeyanthi, Vinayagar Chaturthi because of their vibrant, colorful, foodie and cultural way of celebrations rather than their religions importance.

Festivals really help us to inculcate friendship, cultural importance and moral values in the young minds of our children. Recently we celebrated Sri Krishna Jeyanthi at our home. So I thought of sharing the pooja and celebrations of Sri Krishna Jeyanthi with you to throw some light on our Indian tradition and culture.

 

What Is Sri Krishna Jeyanthi?

Krishna Janmashtami or Janmashtami or Sri Krishna Jeyanthi is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.

 

When Is Sri Krishna Jeyanthi Celebrated?

It is celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) during August or September.  

 

 What Are The Other Names For Sri Krishna Jeyanthi?

  • Krishna Astami
  • Janmashtami
  • Gokulasthami
  • Sree Jayanti

 

How We Celebrate Sri Krishna Jeyanthi At Our Home?

We invite our friends and relatives for the pooja and festival. Sri Krishna Jeyanthi is a fun filled celebration particularly for kids. So we invite all nearby kids for the festival. Also, we involve our son to be a part of the celebrations by making decorations and arrangements at our home.

 

Beautiful Krishna Sticker
Beautiful Krishna Sticker At Our Drawing Hall

 

We welcome our guests with colorful Kolam or Rangoli. Also we draw small footprints of rice flour from the entrance of our house to our pooja room. This is for welcoming Sri Krishna to our house. Making the footprints using rice flour is for small creatures like ant and insects to eat. We just care more for all living creatures.

 

Kolam or Rangoli
Kolam or Rangoli

 

Krishna's Footprints
Krishna’s Footprints

 

All the idols and photos of gods and goddesses at our pooja room are decorated with flowers, garlands and jewels. And Sri Krishna statue or photo is specially decorated. We offer Sweet Aval or Poha, Seedai, Murrukku, Butter, Butter Milk, Jhangiri, Pal Kova, Betal Leaves, Coconut and Fruits as prasad. Mostly the snacks will be prepared at home with extra flavor of yummy ghee. Krishna is a big lover of butter and ghee. So we believe that he will bless us with all abundance by tasting his favorite snacks.

 

Decorations At Our Pooja Room
Decorations At Our Pooja Room

 

Krishna songs and slogams will be played. The house will be filled with aroma of splendid incense sticks. It adds a divine effect to the celebrations. All family members will assemble and the eldest of the family will do the pooja. And the pooja starts with Aarthi, Songs and ends with yummy snacks.

 

Sri Krishna Jeyanthi - Offerings To Lord Sri Krishna - Raising World Children
Offerings To Lord Sri Krishna

Children will be dressed as Krishna and Radha. The elders will tell the stories of Sri Krishna. They enjoy by singing songs, playing instruments, dancing, reciting mantras, drawing, coloring and playing dramas. We, ladies, myself, my amma and my mother in law will recite Krishna Astakam and sing Sri Krishna Songs.

Also we visit to nearby Krishna Temples. Anna Thanam or Donation of Food will be offered at most of the temples on this auspicious day. We would usually donate some money and rice for this ceremony. Thus festivals will bring us closer, kinder and happier by all means. Also festivals are an easy way to teach spirituality to our kids.

What Mantra To be Chanted On Sri Krishna Jeyanthi?

 

We will chant Krishna Maha Mantra. This mantra can be chanted by anyone irrespective of religion, faith, gender and nation.

Krishna Maha Mantra
Image Credit: Pinterest

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

Krishna means “the all-attractive one,” and Rama means “the reservoir of pleasure.” Hare invokes His presence in our lives. This Maha (great) Mantra – chanting of His holy names brings innate satisfaction and the highest pleasure to all of us.

Info Source: ISKON, Delhi.

What Is The Significance Of Krishna Maha Mantra?

The sound and vibrations of this maha mantra will bring peace, happiness, cleanse the mind and soul, suppress our sorrows and anxieties.

Do you celebrate any festivals? What are the fun and joy about your festivals? How do you involve your kids on the celebrations? Please share with us …… And stay tuned for our Vinayagar Chaturthi celebrations .

How To celebrate Krishna Jayanti - Raising World children | Krishna Jayanthi | Celebration | Indian Festivals

 

 Vasantha Vivek Raising World ChildrenVasantha Vivek loves to call herself as a happy woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher, friend, mentor, seeker, lover. She’s from Kovilpatti, a small town of Southern Tamilnadu of India. She was a teacher by profession. She worked as a professor at an Engineering College for nearly 15 years. She has learned a lot as a teacher. She hopes that she had inspired some hearts during that period. Teaching is her passion Reading is her love. Cooking is her heart. She enjoys reading and writing very much. You can find her @mysweetnothings on Facebook and Twitter.

Cultural Family Events in Michigan

Kilts and Tartan and Scots, Oh My!

In the state of Michigan, festivals and cultural cities and events are abound. From Hamtramk where Michiganders can taste the absolute best Polish punchkes in the state (punchkes are a special jelly filled donut-like delectable treat which are typically only available across the state during a short time in the month of February).

The city of Dearborn, which has the largest population of Lebanese in the United States. Frankenmuth is all about the German heritage, which is the home of the ever popular Bavarian Inn and Zehnders Resturants. These two famous landmarks have been serving German fare since 1888. And then there are the cultural areas around the city of Detroit with names such as, Greektown and Mexican Village. But nearly all of them are filled with family type fun, learning and adventure.

Alma, Michigan

This month’s article is focusing upon Alma, Michigan, located in the ‘heart’ of our lower Peninsula. First, let’s discover why Alma is on my list of cities providing culture to our glorious Mitten State.

The community of Alma, Michigan, also now known as Scotland, USA, is near the center of our lower peninsula and was so named in reference to the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War in the mid 1800’s. The Battle of Alma being named due to its location along the River Alma in Crimea. About this same time, the small Michigan community was in the process of being formed.

In the 1880’s, Alma College was established, they used the nickname of the Fighting Presbyterians for nearly 50 years until in 1931, until the faculty and student body held a contest to rename their current mascot. Although several names were considered, the name which won the contest (which came with a $5 prize) left Alma College to be known as the Scots. Why the Scots? Alma had become affiliated with the Scots due to a particular regimen who fought in the Battle of Alma representing the British called the Scots Guard.

In May of 1968, the city of Alma and Alma College worked together to establish an event for family fun within the community with its very first Highland Festival, featuring the Alma College marching band and many Highland activities, such as band competitions, competitive dancing for people of all ages and even cabor tossing.

What began as a small “one day” event back then, has now developed into a large three day event, which includes not only all of the competitions from its roots, but now offers a parade, an arts and crafts fair, Scottish heritage teachings, and many children’s events as well.

This annual event, always occurring the last weekend in May, now has literally thousands of families coming in from all across the United States and Canada to participate in the festivities of pretty much everything you can think of that’s Scot. The Queen of Scots and Miss Michigan make an appearance, all things bagpipes and tartan, Loch Ness monster sightings, Border collie shepherding, and so much more.

The Alma Highland Festival also boasts tons of food vend0rs, area restaurant specials offering Celtic favorites and historic reenactments of the Battle of Alma to keep its roots fresh in the minds and imaginations of young and old.

Yes, the state of Michigan is ever rich with cultural areas and specialty family fun filled events. In the future, I’ll feature articles on some of the other cultural events taking place across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of this great state.

But in the meantime, I’d love to hear about the cultural events which take place in your area of the World. What are they like? Have you ever attended? And just how much fun did you and your family have there?!

 Janie Saylor is a professional certified life coach with a degree in psychology, her focus is in the emerging field of positive psychology. Janie is the mom of two grown children, her son, age 20, and her daughter, age 24. In 2006, Janie published a book, “The Road You’ve Traveled, How to Journal Your Life,” which came from her experiences teaching life journaling to people over the age of 60 for 10+ years in many different communities in the Metro Detroit area. Janie’s used her experiences and education as she developed 8-week online coaching program and has had tremendous success in improving the communication, lives and relationships of her clients. Janie enjoys uplifting others with positive posts and memes on her Facebook page, Become University, where she’s aptly dubbed it “Your Happy Place.” You can contact her at either LifeCoachJane@gmail.com or at www.facebook.com/JanieSaylor.55