Hindu festival · Wednesday, August 25, 2027
Janmashtami
The midnight birthday of Krishna: a night of fasting, song, a flower-decked swing and sweets for everyone.
Say it like a neighbor
Jai Shri Krishna
Say: jai shree KRISH-nuh · “glory to Shri Krishna”
Or say: Happy Janmashtami
“Jai Shri Krishna” is a warm greeting among Hindus, and many reply with the same words. “Happy Janmashtami” is always welcome too. Devotees at ISKCON often say “Hare Krishna.”
Aug 25
Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Krishna at midnight. Tap to follow the night.
When is Janmashtami? Key dates and days to know
Main day
Janmashtami follows the lunar calendar, so the date moves each year. Most calendars give Wednesday, August 25, 2027, and the celebration is built around midnight. Different Hindu traditions and temples can differ by a day, so please check with the temple.
What is Janmashtami and what does it mean?
Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Krishna, one of the most loved figures in Hinduism and regarded by many Hindus as an incarnation of Vishnu. It falls on the eighth day of the dark half of the lunar month of Bhadrapada, in August or September. According to tradition, Krishna was born at midnight in a prison cell in Mathura and carried to safety across the Yamuna River to Gokul.
Devotees often fast until midnight, the hour of the birth, then bathe an image of the infant Krishna in water and milk, dress it in new clothes, and offer sweets that are shared as prasad. Temples and homes are decorated with flowers and lamps, and the night fills with songs and dance.
The day after, in many places, teams form human pyramids to break a hanging pot of curds, called dahi handi, recalling Krishna’s boyhood love of butter. Many Hindu traditions celebrate Janmashtami, as does ISKCON, the Hare Krishna movement.
How is Janmashtami celebrated? Customs and traditions
Fasting
Many devotees fast until midnight. Some drink only water, while others eat fruit, milk and foods made without grain. The fast is broken after the midnight celebration.
The midnight celebration
At midnight, the hour of Krishna’s birth, temples ring bells and blow conch shells. The image of the infant Krishna is bathed in milk and water, dressed in new clothes and rocked in a swing or cradle, and lamps are waved in the aarti.
The decorated swing
Many temples and homes set up a jhula, a swing or cradle decorated with flowers, to welcome the child. Worshippers take turns pushing it gently.
Kirtan and bhajans
Devotional songs fill the night. ISKCON of Houston’s celebration in 2026 included kirtan and aarti at 7 p.m., 9 p.m. and midnight.
Prasad and sweets
Sweets made from milk, butter and sugar are offered to Krishna and then shared, such as pedas, makhan mishri (butter with sugar crystals) and panjiri. Large temples serve a free vegetarian feast to everyone who comes.
Dahi Handi
On the day after, especially in Maharashtra, teams of young people form human pyramids to break a pot of curds hung high above the street, recalling Krishna’s boyhood mischief. Prizes are given, and crowds cheer the teams on.
Costumes and tableaux
Children are often dressed as Krishna and Radha, his beloved companion, for contests and school programs. Some temples build small scenes called jhankis from Krishna’s life, set in Mathura, along the Yamuna and in Gokul.
If you visit a temple on Janmashtami
Tap each one as you go.
Janmashtami in Houston: how neighbors can take part
Thousands gather at ISKCON of Houston each year
Houston’s largest Janmashtami celebration takes place at ISKCON of Houston, 1320 W. 34th Street, together with Hindus of Greater Houston. According to the Indian American press, more than 9,000 people came to the temple in 2025. The 2026 evening, on Friday, September 4, included kirtan and aarti at 7 p.m., 9 p.m. and midnight, a drone light and sound show, a fruit and flower festival, a children’s costume contest and a free vegetarian feast. It was open to the public.
Other Houston-area temples hold their own programs. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir publishes a Janmashtami page, and Sri Guruvayurappan Temple has celebrated Ashtami Rohini, as Janmashtami is also called, with a procession called the Shobha Yatra.
Hindus of Greater Houston has organized a Janmashtami festival since 1990. The 2027 schedules had not been posted when we checked, so please check with each temple.
Janmashtami events in Houston
Houston temples set their own programs and some announce them late. Please confirm times, parking and shuttles before you go. Visitors are welcome.
Questions neighbors ask about Janmashtami
When is Janmashtami 2027?
Janmashtami is Wednesday, August 25, 2027, though some calendars use August 24.
What is Janmashtami?
It celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Many devotees fast until midnight, the traditional hour of his birth, then sing songs and share sweets.
What do you say on Janmashtami?
“Jai Shri Krishna” is a joyful greeting, and “Happy Janmashtami” works too.
Keep exploring