Sri Krishnashtami /Sri Krishna Jayanti / Gokulashtami
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After the bath, devotees wear new colourful clothes mostly with golden yellow shades. Then they decorate the Pooja place with all available seasonal flowers and put Rangavalli (pattern or diagram drawn with lines of flour or coloured powder). A special pattern resembling the tiny footprints, meaning Lord Krishna in the form of a small boy arrives to accept the Pooja or sacrifice will be drawn from the main door to the place of Pooja. In addition to the footprints, Shankhu (A Conch) and Chakram (A Wheel) will be drawn near the Pooja Sthali (place).
Varieties of Lord Krishna’s idol forms will be placed at the Pooja Sthali like Tiny Krishna in Mother Yashoda’s arms, dancing with shepherdesses, Krishna consuming cheese from the ports, blowing flute and many other forms. All the idols will be decorated in forms. Then, the devotees perform Pooja to the idols placed and decorated with all the dedication and sanctity. After performing the traditional rituals, they offer varieties of eatables mainly made of milk and milk products, sweets, honey and seasonal fruits as sacrifice to the Lord Krishna.
In villages, Lord Krishna’s followers decorate children with God Krishna’s and shepherdess's attires and take out a procession in the streets singing and hailing Lord Krishna. Decorated cattle form part of the procession. The parade reaches the nearest Riverbank, or Lake where they offer Daddojanam (a pudding of curd, rice, and spice with salt) to the cattle and with sacred feeling eat the sacred offerings made to God. In the evening, a cradle decorated with flowers will be hung from a tree. In the cradle a Tiny Krishna’s idol will be placed and sing hymns and songs, such as
“Jo Achyuthananda Jo Jo Mukundaa
Laali Paramananda Rama Govindaa…Jo…Jo”