Janmashtami 2025: Why is the cucumber with stalk cut at midnight on Janmashtami, know the religious significance

Krishna Janmashtami 2025: The religious tradition of cutting a cucumber with a stalk on Janmashtami is associated with the birth of Lord Krishna. Janmashtami puja is considered incomplete without cutting cucumber. Let us know its reason and importance.

 

 

1 /6

Krishna Janmashtami is an important festival of Hinduism, which is celebrated on the Ashtami date of Krishna Paksha of Bhado month to commemorate the birth of Krishna. This year the festival of Janmashtami is on Saturday 16 August 2025.

 

2 /6

Janmashtami puja is performed at midnight (12 o'clock at night). It is believed that Kanha was born at midnight in the Rohini Nakshatra as the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Dwapar era. On this day, devotees worship Kanha with rituals and celebrate his birthday.

 

3 /6

The tradition of cutting cucumber at midnight on Janmashtami is also special, without which the puja is not complete. But do you know why cucumber is cut at midnight on Janmashtami and what is the connection of this tradition of cutting the cucumber with stalk with the birth of Shri Krishna?

 

4 /6

On the day of Janmashtami, the cucumber with its stalk is cut with a coin in the same way as the umbilical cord of a child is cut and separated from the mother's womb at the time of birth. According to Hindu belief, the stalk of the cucumber is considered to be the umbilical cord of Lord Krishna.

 

5 /6

On Janmashtami, the tradition of cutting the cucumber with its stalk, considering it as the umbilical cord, and taking out the small idol of Krishna is still performed as a ritual of separating Shri Krishna and Mata Devaki. This ritual is also called nal chhedan. It is a symbol of the birth of the child from the mother's womb.

 

6 /6

After the Naal Chhedal tradition, the Aarti of Shri Krishna is performed and cucumber is offered in the puja. After the puja, this cucumber is distributed among the devotees as prasad.