Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed on the eighth tithi (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) of Shraavana Masa (according to the amanta tradition) or Bhadrapada Masa (according to the purnimanta tradition). This overlaps with August or September of the Gregorian calendar. It is an important festival, particularly in the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. Dance-drama enactments of the life of Krishna according to the Bhagavata Purana (such as Rasa Lila or Krishna Lila), devotional singing through the midnight when Krishna was born, fasting (upavasa), a night vigil (Ratri Jagaran), and a festival (Mahotsav) on the following day are a part of the Janmashtami celebrations. It is celebrated particularly in Mathura and Vrindavan, along with major Vaishnava and non-sectarian communities found in Manipur, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and all the other states of India. Krishna Janmashtami is followed by the festival Nandotsava, which celebrates the occasion when Nanda distributed gifts to the community in honor of the birth. Significance Krishna was Devaki and Vasudeva Anakadundubhi's son, and his birthday is celebrated by Hindus as Janmashtami, particularly those of the Gaudiya Vaishnavite tradition, as he is considered the supreme personality of the Godhead. Janmashtami is celebrated when Krishna is believed to have been born according to Hindu tradition, which was in Mathura at midnight on the eighth day of Bhadrapada or the 23rd day of Shraavana, which overlaps with late August and early September in the Gregorian calendar. Krishna was born in an area of chaos. It was a time when persecution was rampant, freedoms were denied, evil was everywhere, and when there was a threat to his life by his uncle, King Kansa. Immediately following the birth of Krishna at Mathura, his father Vasudeva Anakadundubhi took him across the Yamuna river to foster parents in Gokula named Nanda and Yashoda, who were Vasudeva's brother and sister-in-law. Along with Krishna, an avatar of the serpent Shesha was also incarnated on earth as Krishna's older brother Balarama, who was the son of Rohini, Vasudeva's first wife. This legend is celebrated on Janmashtami by people keeping fasts, singing devotional songs of love for Krishna, and keeping a vigil into the night.