Janmashtami: Dahi Handi celebrations begins in Mumbai with joy, pomp

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 7 : Krishna Janmashtami is being celebrated across the country to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna, and celebrations for Dahi Handi are being held in Mumbai with great joy and pomp.
Visuals show Janmashtami being celebrated on a large scale, and several Dahi Handi competitions being conducted. A huge crowd gathered to see the competition.
One of the major cultural activities, Dahi Handi is celebrated by filling an earthen pot with curd, butter and other milk products. Subsequently, group of people form a human pyramid to reach the matka and break it with a stick.
The tradition symbolizes 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.
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 the months of 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.