Colourful Dahi Handi celebrations mark the festival of Krishna Janmashtami in Mumbai
Aug 27, 2024
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 27 : On the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami, the Dadar area of Mumbai was bustling with celebrations with the Dahi handi festival on Tuesday.
As a large crowd gathered for the celebrations of Krishna Janmashtami, visuals from the Dadar area of Mumbai showed the women Govindas and others dancing to music and singing along to traditional songs.
One of the major cultural activities, Dahi Handi is celebrated by filling an earthen pot with curd, butter and other milk products. Subsequently, a group of people form a human pyramid to reach the matka and break it.
Celebrations also included children dressing up as Krishna on stage, and multiple performances with people showing their diverse skills on the road.
With the Dahi handi festival celebrations going on in full swing, a team of women Govindas formed a human pyramid to attempt to break the 'matki' hanging several feet in the air.
As the human pyramid was formed, people saw the feat of coordination and strength by the women Govindas as each person climbed on top of the other. The last person reached the 'matki' and broke the container, symbolising Lord Krishna's playfulness and innocence, and his love for butter and curd.
Dahi Handi celebrations commemorate Lord Krishna's act of eating Dahi hung at a height when he was a child.
In multiple cities, there were numerous bhajans, religious dances, and discourses by saints and sages. Various social organisations also organised large-scale Janmashtami celebrations.
According to scriptures, Janmashtami is celebrated on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada. It is the day Lord Krishna was born. As per the Hindu calendar, Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, was born on the eighth day of the month of Bhadra. The day mostly falls in August or September, as per the Western calendar. The festival is celebrated by offering prayers to Lord Krishna, with beautifully decorated swings, dance and music performances, along with the Dahi Handi competition.
