Dahi Handi festival 2012 celebrated in Mumbai

Gopalkala, also known as Dahi Handi, is the most popular ceremony celebrated on the second day during Krishna Janmashtami. Dahi Handi 2012 or Gopalkala 2012 date is August 10. Dahi Handi or Gopal Kala is mostly celebrated in North Indian states like Gujarat and Maharashtra. But, nowadays Gopal kala has become a main ceremony in Janmashtami celebrations throughout all states in India.
In Hindi and some North Indian languages, Dahi means curd and Handi means pot. The whole term, Dahi Handi means the pot of curd which has to be broken during the ceremony. In most of the places, Dahi Handi is presented as a gift to the group of people or single person who breaks the Dahi Handi. The pot is filled up with milk, curd, butter, fruit juices and some more sweet recipes. The pot is hanged with a rope at a height of more than 20 feet. Now the pot is referred as Dahi Handi.
After suspending the pot on the height, a group of young men or boys tries to touch and break it climbing on each other as a pyramid. The person or the group who reaches the Dahi Handi and breaks it is declared as the winner.
In some regions, Dahi Handi is hanged at a height and is moved with ropes tied to that pot. Two persons move the ropes and the Dahi Handi and lift the pot up and make it down. They keep doing this until the person is tired or he breaks the pot. In some places, the person who wants to break the pot is also showered with coloured water.