Janmastami

It seems a good idea to start these Chronicles with the recent festival of Janmastami. This is the biggest festival of the year in the Gaudiya-Vaishnava calendar - sort of equivalent to Christmas for the Christians, as it celebrates Krishna's birth in our world, some five-thousand years ago.

We observe this festival by fasting until midnight; although we hardly notice this, as we're so fully engaged all day - from 4.00.a.m. - chanting, dancing, reading about Krishna's astonishing pastimes, cooking dainty dishes for His pleasure, cleaning and decorating the temple with festoons and flowers, and receiving the many guests who arrive to join the celebrations. At midnight there is a jubilant Kirtan (chanting-session with musical instruments) before the Deities of Radha-Madhava, and then everyone partakes of the various cooked offerings which were made throughout the day - a big feast!

Note of Interest: Janmastami is a Sanskrit word, composed of two smaller words - janma meaning 'birth' and astami meaning 'eight'. Krishna was born on the eighth day of the lunar month. This means that His feast-day falls on a different day every year in our Georgian calendar; this year it fell on 16th August.