Next: 25 Aug 2027
Janmashtami
The dark blue of Krishna, his yellow silk, and a peacock feather: children dress as the god for his birthday.
The colours of Janmashtami
Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Krishna at midnight. Krishna is shown with skin the colour of a dark rain cloud, painted as deep blue, wearing a yellow silk dhoti called the pitambara and a peacock feather in his hair. The blue is often explained as the colour of the endless sky and sea. On his birthday small children are dressed as Krishna or as Radha, with a paper crown, a flute and a feather, and temples dress the image in new yellow or bright silks and swing it in a cradle hung with flowers. In Maharashtra teams of young men build human towers to break a clay pot of curd hung high above the street, as coloured water is thrown on them.
#1F3F8FKrishna blueThe skin of Krishna, dark as a rain cloud.#F4C20DPitambara yellowHis yellow silk garment.#0E8C7FPeacock greenThe feather in his crown.#FBF6DFButter whiteThe butter and curd the child Krishna loved.Values are fair approximations, not official shades.
Read about the colours
Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "Krishna Janmashtami" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.