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Krishna Janmashtami 2022: 11 Traditional dishes to celebrate Lord Krishna’s birth
If you want to revive traditional delicacies to make the most of your Krishna Janmashtami celebration this year, read on for a carefully curated list of 11 major traditional Janmashtami dishes to celebrate Lord Krishna’s birth.
Krishna Janmashtami 2022: Janmashtmi is one of the most beautifully celebrated festivals across India. The significance behind this auspicious day is the celebration of Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary. In 2022, Janmashtami is being celebrated on the 18th and 19th of August. While people across different states of India might have different little traditions and ways of celebrations, food unites us all. If you want to revive traditional delicacies to make the most of your Janmasthmi celebration this year, read on for a carefully curated list of 11 major traditional Janmashtami dishes to celebrate Lord Krishna’s birth.
According to traditional folks and tales, Lord Krishna had a very unique relationship with food. Perhaps that is why, on this auspicious day of his birth, a major part of celebrations include offering signature delicacies to Lord Krishna. It is believed Lord Krishna had a profound love for milk, homemade butter, and other milk products. To keep the age-old tradition alive people still make milk-based dishes in Lord Kirshna’s honor. Interestingly these traditional Janmashtami dishes are not only delicious but incredibly healthy for the gut. In fact, they are perfect for breaking your Janmashmati fast. But, before we dive right into the list of traditional dishes, let us understand the importance of this beautiful Indian festival Janmashtami. 
Why do we celebrate Krishna Janmashtami?
Janmashtami also known as Gokulashtami or Krishnashtami is the celebration of the occasion of the birth of Lord Krishna. Traditionally, this annual Hindu festival marks the birth of the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna. All across the country, the day is celebrated with dance-drama enactments of Lord Krishna’s life popularly known as Rasa Lila or Krishna Lila. The day also involves devotional singing during the midnight when Lord Krishna was born, fasting, night vigils, and elaborate festive celebrations in order to commemorate this day. The celebrations in Mathura and Vrindavan are particularly captivating.
Krishna Janmashtami 2022: Date and time
Gokulashtami 2022: This year, Krishna Janmashtami 2022 will be celebrated on the 18th and 19th of August. According to the Hindu calendar, it is marked on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada in India. The Hindu Vedic Panchang states that 2022’s Ashtami Tithi will begin at 9:21 pm on the 18th of August 18 and will end at 10:59 pm on the 19th of August which means it can be celebrated on both or either day. Also, most Dahi Handi events will be celebrated on the 19th of August 19 in Maharashtra.
Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations 2022
Krishnashtami 2022: The celebration of this Hindu festival includes fasting, singing, praying, night vigils, visiting Lord Krishna’s temples along with the preparation and distribution of special Janmasthmi food items. Temples also organize the recitation of Bhagavata Puranas and Bhagavad Gita along with dance-drama events like Rasa Lila or Krishna Lila. Another major aspect of Janmashtami is the decoration of houses and jhulas with beautiful and fresh flowers.
In cities across Maharashtra, the day after Janmashtami is celebrated as Dahi Handi. This traditional festival is born from the legend that in order to save the milk products from baby Krishna people used to hang their milk pots out of his reach usually higher and Krishna would try to reach it in all sorts of creative ways. In order to celebrate this innocent act, this festival came into existence. Dahi Handi actually means an earthen pot of yogurt which is hung high and is meant to be broken to celebrate Krishna’s innocence.
Janmashtami Celebrations and famous food preparations
Janmashtami celebrations are incomplete without the preparation of traditional delicacies and sweets. Typically, the offerings to Lord Krishna include traditional food items like Gur (jaggery) Ki Kheer, Panjiri, Dahi Kala, Sweet Potato Kheer, Ladoos, Kheer Poori, and Dhoodh Peda. In addition to these are there a number of delicacies specially prepared to celebrate this day.
People who fast on the day of Janmashtami typically eat satvik food items like sabudana khichdi, sabudana vadas, and sabudana kheer. Apart from these, this holy festival has been famous for lip-smacking delicacies, read on to find them all.
11 Krishna Janmashtami special food preparations that you must know about:
This auspicious day is marked with the preparation of several Janmashtami special delicacies. Scroll on for the most loved Krishna Janmashtami special dishes which have been served as bhog to Lord Krishna for generations.
1. Gopalkala
This unique Maharashtrian dish is one of the most beloved dishes when it comes to offering Lord Krishna. In order to celebrate Lord Krishna’s love for milk, Gopalkala has been prepared as a Janmashtmi special dish for generations. Remarkably similar to curd and rice, this dish can be prepared in minutes and is incredibly nutritional. This savory dish is made with utmost love and includes ingredients like beaten rice, green chilies, cucumbers, and coconut along with fresh hand-churned cream. It is popularly known as the ‘food of the poor.’
2. Panjiri
Another dish that is specially prepared on Janmashtami in North-Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Punjab is Panjiri. The characteristic ingredients of Panjiri are coriander seed powder, powdered sugar, desi ghee, mishri, along with dried fruits like cashew nuts, pistachios, almonds, and raisins. With incredibly healthy ingredients, this healthful dish is a major part of Janmashtami celebrations.
3. Kheer
Made with rice, thick milk along with dried fruits, sabudana, and makhana, this delectable dish is a festive dessert that is rich in cardamom and saffron. Kheer has been loved and offered to Lord Krishna as a part of Janmashtami celebrations for years.
4. Maakhan Mishri
Another traditional Gokulashtami dessert is Maakhan Mishri. Made out of fresh homemade butter known as maakhan, along with sugar also known as mishri, this dish has a very simple preparation and can be easily made at home in minutes.
5. Honey-rich Milk
Janmashtami celebrations menu will be incomplete without this honey-rich milk drink. This pious drink is offered as a mark of purity and is distributed amongst the Krishna devotees.
6. Makhana Paag
This special dish called Maakhan Paag is made up of lotus seeds, milk, pure ghee along with powdered sugar. This sweet delicacy is prepared on the eve of Janmashtami and is loved by all.
7. Charnamrit or Panchamrit
Although primarily made to bathe Lord Krishna during midnight celebrations, Panchamrit or Charnamrit is made up of fresh milk along with curd, pure ghee, tulsi leaves, honey, sugar, jaggery and makhana. After the ceremonies, the drink is served as prasad among the devotees as Krishna’s blessings.
8. Rava Laddoo
Laddoos have always been part of Indian festivals and are particularly loved by all. Rava laddoos are one such preparation. Made out of roasted rava, coconut, dried fruits, nuts, sugar, along with lots of pure ghee, these healthy laddoos are savored by all.
9. Sabudana khichdi
In addition to multiple sweet dishes, this light savory dish is also widely prepared for Janmashtami celebrations. Made with soaked sabudanas, green chilies, peanuts, tomatoes, peanuts, along with sendha namak and pure ghee, this healthy breakfast dish is full of energy and carbohydrates which makes it an excellent pick for Janmashtami fast dishes
10. Shrikhand
Popularly prepared across Gujarat and Maharasthra, this traditional sweet dish is prepared by adding saffron, cardamom, and sugar in hung curd or homemade creamy yogurt. This delicious dish is said to have gut-cooling effects and is incredibly refreshing.
11. Doodh peda
This is another famous milk-based dish that is prepared during Janmashtami celebrations. A simple flat and round sweet made with pure milk, this sweet is generously garnished with finely chopped pistachios and almonds. This is one of the common Janmashtami sweets that is commonly offered to Lord Krishna in temples and distributed as blessed food or prasad among the devotees.
What to eat for Janmashtami fast?
Even if you are fasting for Janmashtami celebrations, there are a number of dishes you can eat. Here are some of the dishes commonly eaten during or during breaking Janmashtami fasts. Here are a few Janmashtami special recipes for fasts.
Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami is the celebration of the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna which is celebrated across India. While different states have different little traditions and ways of paying respect to Lord Krishna, the preparation of milk-based delicacies is distinctive to this auspicious day’s celebrations.
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