Art and Craft Activities for Janmashtami(2019): Here Are Some DIY Ideas to Make at Home and Make the Celebration Even More Fun!

Janmashtami is a very important Hindu festival. It is celebrated with great joy and happiness in India. It contains a lot of different traditions and rituals. This is because it is the birthday of Lord Krishna. He is considered as one of the most powerful incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Dahi handi is a very important ritual of Janmashtami. The whole community gathers and they tie the dahi handi really high. Then, there is a group of young boys and girls who make a pyramid and break the handi. Dahi and makhan were the favourite things of Lord Krishna. He used to enjoy eating them a lot and thus, people have this ritual.

It is said that Lord Krishna was very naughty while growing up and so, he used to break the handis to eat dahi and makhan. Hence, this is the ritual that is carried out during Janmashtami. Also, the youngest boy or girl usually break the handi.

Lord Krishna was born at midnight. It is said that he took birth 5200 years before in Mathura. He was sent on Earth to free people from all the devils and explain to them the importance of good karma. This is completely elaborated in Sri Bhagwad Gita which the holy book of Hindus.

However, he was born in the middle of a stormy night and thus, the Janmashtami celebrations begin at midnight only. People sing devotional songs and dance on them too. They express their happiness on the Lord's birthday by decorating their houses and temples with flowers. A lot of sweets are also offered to each other.

There is also a ritual where an idol of the lord in child form is brought. There is a small cradle where the Lord is placed. The cradle is decorated and at midnight people swing it slowly. These are the main rituals of midnight.

Fasting has great importance in Hindu mythology. People also fast during Janmashtami. This fasting is really important as it is said to have a spiritual effect on all the devotees. The importance is clearly explained in all the scriptures as well.

Lord Krishna is seen explaining Yudhishtir in the Mahabharata that people who observe a fast during Janmashtami will gain wealth and prosperity. The main idea of fasting is that it brings a person closer to the Lord.

The Janmashtami fasting is also associated with the attainment of salvation and freeing of the karma cycle. Some people only avoid salt for the day while some people only eat once in the whole day. Some devotees also fast with just drinking milk and eating fruits.

Janmashtami is celebrated on the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada according to the Hindu calendar. Janmashtami is also known as Gokulashtami. It is celebrated because it is the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. There is a story behind the celebration of Janmashtami.

Based on Hindu mythology, an evil king called Kansa was ruling Mathura. Kansa asked his sister Devki to marry Vasudeva who was the Yadu king. He did this because he wanted to extend his empire. Hence, after their wedding, he showered the newlyweds with gifts to gain the trust of Vasudeva.

However, God had other plans. When he is leaving the place with his chariot, there is a voice that roars from heaven. It states that his sister's eighth children will kill him. This makes the king furious and thus, he decides to kill all his sister's children on after another.

Although, Lord Krishna escapes as his father somehow manages to give Krishna to his sister Yashoda. Finally, Lord Krishna kills Kansa. Hence, the evil dies and the good finally wins after his birth. This is also one of the reasons to celebrate Janmashtami.

Lord Krishna used to always wear a crown with a peacock feather on it. He always dressed up like that and thus, it is a good idea to make a peacock crown for Janmashtami. If you are explaining the significance of Janmashtami to your child, then you must make such crafts as it will help them understand better.

It is a good idea to make a paper flower bouquet and place it near the Lord during the celebrations. Your child will be really excited to make it with you. Also, it is really simple.

Dahi handi is a very important ritual of Janmashtami. Hence, it is important to include the handi in the craft sessions. Kids can surely get a better idea of the ritual with it. Even you can just take small handis and decorate them to gift it to your friends and relatives on the occasion of Janmashtami.

Greeting cards are a fun way to wish each other. People used to use them a lot in the olden times before mobiles and chat rooms were invented. Making a greeting card and giving it to your friends and relatives is a great idea. You can ask your child to make one and give it to their teachers.

Lord Krishna used to love playing the flute. Hence, you can let your child decorate a flute. In fact, you can dress him up a Krishna and ask him to pose with the flute he made on his own.

If your child has to dress up like krishna, then you might want to make accessories for him. Krishna used to always wear a crown and thus, it is a good idea to make one for you child. You can also host a party before Janmashtami and invite all the friends of your child with their mothers. You can make them together.

There are various versions of making a Krishna clay doll. There is no right method or wrong method for the same. Hence, you can take the liberty to innovate in this one with your child.

Peacock Feathers is almost the identity of Lord Krishna. Hence, you can ask kids to make just the feathers as well. They will enjoy something like that too. If the kids are small, you can buy coloured papers but, if they are big you can ask them to paint.

It is a good idea to decorate your house during Janmashtami. You can also plan a gathering and invite all your friends and relatives to celebrate the festival. However, your decoration depends on the time you are inviting people. If you are looking to invite your guests for the midnight ritual, then you will need a lot of things. You will have to arrange for a baby Krishna's idol with a cradle as that is the midnight ritual.

If you are planning to invite everyone in the day time, then you must have a dahi handi. Do not tie it high up. Although, you can add curd in it. Some people also add chocolates and candies in it. If you have a lot of kids coming, then you can do the same thing. Also, make the kids break the handi as they will fun doing it. Arrange this in the garden or the backyard. If you have an apartment, then you can arrange it in the balcony.

Apart from that, you can decorate your house with flowers. Lord Krishna is fond of Jasmine and mogra flowers. Hence, you can decorate the temple and his idol with those. Besides that, you can decorate the entrance of your house with roses and candles. It is a good idea to perform some rangoli as well. Rangoli looks nice. You can add a toran at the entrance of your house too.

If you want to do something unique, then you can always decorate flutes. Lord Krishna loved playing them and thus, you can decorate and hang them in your living room. This will create a festive mood. If you do not want to hang, you can always keep them near the temple. You can even add fairy lights near the temple or in your living room. It will sparkle and the lights will look great.