Entertain Friends, Family and Guests This Krishna Janmashtami with These Fun and Educational Janmashtami Games (2019)

The birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated with joy and delight all over India. The day is celebrated as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami by his believers. The legend says he is the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. His birth brought an end to all the darkness and evil in the world. The festival is mainly celebrated by the Vaishnavas on the eighth day in the month of Shravan as per the Hindu calendar.

According to Hindu mythology, mother Earth appealed to Lord Brahma when evil forces ran havoc on Earth. Brahma took her concern to Lord Vishnu who assured him that his next incarnation would be the answer to all. Sri Krishna was born to Vasudev and Devaki when in the custody of his uncle Kansa. His father, fearing for his life sent him to his friend Nand. Sri Krishna grew up in Gokul and killed his uncle Kansa in the end.

Sri Krishna is said to be one of the most powerful incarnations of Lord Vishnu. He is visualised as a spiritual guide and as a prankster. His birth, death and his life have been detailed in many Hindu scriptures. His birth was a much-needed salve for the people who at the time toiled under the evil forces especially his uncle, the evil king Kansa. He eliminated all the evil forces from the earth and restored Dharma. The festival of Janmashtami celebrated the victory of good over evil. It encourages selflessness and brings about togetherness.

The God of love and mischief was born on a stormy night to end the evil rule of Kansa who was ironically his own uncle. Hence Janmashtami is celebrated during the night in all the temples in India. People come together in temples and other public places and celebrate the day with joy and devotion. They sing devotional songs, offer pujas, blow the conch, play games and dance.

The temples are decorated and illuminated with diyas and lights. Devotees fast the whole day and come together to offer prayers and mantras in the temples all night long. In temples dedicated to Lord Krishna, the idols are taken out in processions to the chant of kirtans and bhajans.

While Janmashtami celebrations are special all over India, it is a grand festival in Vrindavan and Mathura where he was born and grew up. Since Sri Krishna was born at midnight, the celebrations take place over 2 days. The first day otherwise called as Gokul Ashtami is when the devotees fast the day and offer prayers, leading to midnight. The second day otherwise called as the Janam Ashtami is celebrated with prayers, devotional songs, dancing and feasting.

Lord Krishna spent his young age in Vrindavan; Hence the Janmashtami festivities here are quite splendid. The festivities include rasleela performances apart from dances and dramas. The city has more than a thousand temples of which the ISKON Temple, Sri Krishna Balram Temple and Banke Bihari Temple are the most famous. The celebrations start about 7 days before the festival and include ceremonial baths, pujas and other rituals.

Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna and Janmashtami is celebrated with opulence and splendour. Since Sri Krishna was born at midnight, most of the rituals happen around that time. Janmashtami festivities at Dwarkadhish Temple are of great importance; Lord Krishna is given a ceremonial bath with curd and water. The temples are elaborately decorated and Jhulanotsavas are conducted all over the city. During this time the city is immersed in prayers; Devotional songs and the sound of conch fills the air.

Janmashtami is popularly called Gokulashtami and is celebrated magnificently in Mumbai and Pune. The most famous of the rituals is the Dahi Handi which denotes the love Sri Krishna had for curd and butter. An earthen pot filled with curd is hung about 20 ft to 30 ft high and young men form a human pyramid to attempt to break the pot. Once broken the curd is then given away as prasad. This happens throughout the city and several teams compete to break the pot.

The city of Dwaraka which Lord Krishna ruled over is in Gujarat. Janmashtami celebrations are quite grand over here. The celebrations start at midnight with garba, rasleelas, and devotional songs. The mangal aarthi that is performed in the morning at Dwarkadhish temple is a must-see. Gujarat also has a version of Dahi Handi of Maharashtra; It is called as Makhan Handi here and it contains butter instead of curd.

The Janmashtami celebrations in South India vary from that of North India. In the state of Tamilnadu, people draw kolams with rice flour and make footprints of little Krishna on the floor. Young boys dress up as little Krishna and visit friends and relatives in Andhra Pradesh. Sweets offered to Krishna are distributed among friends. Just like their counterparts, fasting and devotional songs are also common in South India.

Krishna Janmashtami is not just about prayers and fasting, celebrations extend to beyond the religious aspect. The whole family and neighbourhood come together for the celebrations. And that means you would have other activities including games planned. This Janmashtami, BP Guide helps you celebrate Janmashtami in a grand manner fitting for Lord Krishna. Our games are designed in such a way that it reminds of the many aspects of Sri Krishna.

Dahi Handi is the most famous and popular games celebrated on Janmashtami. While most states use dahi or curd as tradition dictates, butter or makhan is also used in other states like Gujarat. While the traditional way of playing Dahi Handi requires loads of planning, we can have a mini version of it in our Janmashtami games.

Fill an earthen pot with dahi/curd, milk and water, enough to immerse our loot. Add fruits, candies, bangles, etc to the pot so that it is immersed in the curd mixture. Points are allotted to each item hidden in the pot. Each member gets to take the items hidden in the curd within the given timeframe. But the catch is to use only one hand. Add the total points depending on the items taken. The person who has the most number of points is declared the winner.

Sri Krishna was quite a prankster and a mischievous boy when he was growing up; So much that maa Yashoda had to tie him up with ropes. But every time she tries to tie him up, the rope becomes shorter and shorter. So, she would add more ropes to make it bigger. It would continue until Lord Krishna allows himself to be tied up.

Let the mothers at the party also tie their little Krishnas, just like maa Yashoda. Give each member a set number of ropes and also set a time limit. They need to tie the ropes together, end to end to make a larger rope and tie-up their little Krishnas. The winner is, of course, the mother who finishes first. You can also add a twist to the game by making the mothers chase their little ones.

Along with Krishna Janmashtami, comes costume contests with kids dressing up as little Krishna and Radha. While little Krishna contests are a wonderful way of introducing kids to Lord Krishna and his antics, it can also be a fun activity for adults.

Let your guests bring out their inner stylist with this Adorn Lord Krishna game. Allot a time limit for your guests and supply them with everything they need to dress as Krishna including murli, jewellery and dress. Pair them up as a couple; one has to dress the other within the allotted time frame. The couple who takes the least time to dress up as Krishna wins this game.

Sri Krishna is a notable incarnation of Lord Vishnu and a very forceful one. He played an important role in the epic battle of Mahabharata. Not just that, his powerful speech in the battlegrounds of Mahabharata gave birth to the Bhagavad Gita. But how much do you know about Him?

What better way to celebrate and honour Him than to have a quiz that tests your knowledge of Lord Krishna. Prepare a quiz for your guests with questions related to the life of Lord Krishna. Questions can be from the life of Lord Krishna and his heroic deeds. You can get help from websites like Krishna.com for your questions.

Now for a yet more serious game that also tests your patience and knowledge, comes the Janmashtami Word Scramble. There is also a fun factor in trying to unscramble the words. For this word scramble, try choosing the words, related to Krishna Janmashtami. You can either take a print of this word scramble we found for you on The Holiday Spot. Or you can make them yourself if you get time. Either way, it is sure to be a fun time for your guests as you try to one-up one another.

Your party is sure to be comprised of adults as well as kids. Even as you adults have fun, kids also need to be kept occupied. What better way to keep them occupied than by games. Make sure you keep the games centred around the theme as to enlighten them about Sri Krishna.

Kids love treasure hunts. The excitement of a prize at the end of the hunt is enough to get them going. Arrange a Janmashtami treasure hunt for the kids with gifts including little Krishna’s favourite foods butter and curd. Instead of the traditional clues make little footprints with your little one’s feet and rice flour paste. Let the footprints lead all over the house and find the hidden treasure. Be ready for mayhem once they find the goodies you have left for them.

Krishna wears many pieces of jewellery including a crown adorned with a peacock feather. This remains to be a kids’ favourite irrespective of age. Supply the kids with a few basic craft materials and watch the kids’ imagination run wild. Cardboard, paints, sequins, beads, glue, scissors are few of the materials you can include in your supply. Don’t forget the quintessential peacock feather to add to the crown. Let them wear the crowns and enact little Krishna for the adults in the party.

If you are serious about having fun and firing up a little competition for the kids, a Junior Masterchef competition of your own is a perfect choice. Janmashtami sweets like besan ladoo and peda can be done under the adult's supervision or maybe under the older kids. For the younger kids, you can also go for the basic no-cook foods like sandwich etc. Kids love pottering in the kitchen; So indulge them and bake a cake or cookies with their help. Another option is to bake the cookies and get the kids to decorate them.

Little Krishna was so fond of curd that he used to steal curd from his mother. Whenever the pot is hung at a greater height, he and his friends would build a pyramid to reach the pot. This incident is the story behind the famous Dahi Handi, a popular Janmashtami game.

Since Dahi Handi might be a little too advanced for little kids, you can get the kids to decorate the curd pot for the game. Set up a station with beads, sequins, glue, peacock feathers, paints, paintbrush etc for the kids. Let them loose with a curd pot each and watch the magic unfold.

In the era of nuclear families and daycare centres, the kids do not get a chance to learn the amazing story of Krishna’s life from their grandparents. Take this chance to teach them, incidents from Krishna’s life that speak of dharma.

Divide the kids into groups. Let each group, take an incident from Sri Krishna’s life and enact it for the adults. That way, not only do they would have fun acting, they would also learn about Lord Krishna and his deeds.