Krishna Janmashtami 2025: Know The Significance Of The Cucumber-Cutting Ritual At Midnight

Janmashtami 2025 will be celebrated on August 16 with midnight puja and unique rituals like the symbolic cucumber-cutting, representing Lord Krishna’s birth and separation from mother Devaki.

Krishna Janmashtami 2025

Source : ABPLIVE AI

Krishna Janmashtami is one of the most important festivals in Hinduism, celebrated on the Ashtami Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada. This year, the festival will be observed on Saturday, August 16, 2025 to mark the birth of Lord Krishna.

Midnight Worship Tradition:

The main Janmashtami puja is conducted at midnight, the time believed to be when Lord Krishna was born during the Rohini Nakshatra in the Dwapar Yuga as the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. On this day, devotees perform rituals with devotion and celebrate the divine birth of Krishna.

Unique Cucumber-Cutting Ritual

A notable tradition on Janmashtami is the cutting of a cucumber with its stem at midnight, without which the puja is considered incomplete.  Know the reason behind performing this ritual, and know its connection to Krishna's birth.

According to Hindu belief, on Janmashtami, a stemmed cucumber is cut with a coin in a manner similar to cutting the umbilical cord of a newborn from the mother’s womb. The stem of the cucumber is considered symbolic of Lord Krishna’s umbilical cord.

The ritual involves cutting the cucumber and taking out a small idol of Krishna, symbolising the moment when the newborn Krishna was separated from his mother Devaki. This ceremony is known as Naal Chedan (umbilical cord cutting) and signifies the child’s emergence from the maternal womb.

Offering And Distribution As Prasad:

After the Naal Chedan ritual, devotees perform the aarti of Lord Krishna and offer the cucumber during the puja. Later, the cucumber is distributed among devotees as prasad.

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