Hare Krishna chariot festival held in St. John's for the first time

1 month_ago 12

Members of the St. John's Hindu community gathered for a ineffable parade and festival held successful the metropolis for the archetypal clip implicit the weekend. The chariot festival, oregon Ratha Yatra, is an past solemnisation of the travel of Lord Jagannath, successful the Hare Krishna tradition.

Devotees carried a chariot done the city

Abby Cole · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 1:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 30

Man with caput down connected decorated chariot

Members of the St. John's Hindu community gathered for a ineffable parade and festival held successful the metropolis for the archetypal clip implicit the weekend.

The chariot festival, oregon Ratha Yatra, is an past solemnisation of the travel of Lord Jagannath, successful the Hare Krishna tradition.

It began Saturday morning with a worship ritual connected Freshwater Road. The radical past walked successful an 8.5-kilometre parade to Bowring Park, wherever devotees carried a decorated chariot that honours Lord Jagannath.

In the afternoon, they held a solemnisation successful the parkland with music, chanting and food.

"St. John's ne'er had a … festival of chariots before. So, we decided we wanted to bring it," Dhashwaree Poorun, a subordinate of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, told CBC News.

She said the solemnisation is an implicit 2,000-year-old contented successful India.

WATCH | This parade brought a Hindu contented to the streets of St. John's:

First Chariot Festival successful St. John’s brings crowds to Bowring Park for prayers, chants

The Hare Krishna assemblage successful St. John’s came unneurotic for the city’s inaugural Ratha Yatra — oregon Chariot Festival — Saturday, including a parade crossed municipality and festivities successful Bowring Park.

"It was a parade with Lord Jagannath," said Poorun, explaining the parade allows the Lord to beryllium seen by everyone successful the street.

The chariot took implicit a period to prepare, said Poorun, which included a lot of readying and volunteers.

She said similar — but overmuch larger — festivals instrumentality spot successful different cities and India.

"What happens successful India has thing compared to what we are having here. This is simply a truly tiny scale," she said.

Poorun said chanting, euphony and dancing is an important portion of the festival that everyone tin instrumentality portion in.

"The dependable vibration … will bring bully vibes to St. John's," she said. "So, if you perceive it, delight perceive to it."

The Hare Krishna assemblage has been successful St. John's for implicit 10 years, said Poorun. The festival had been successful the works for immoderate time.

As for the aboriginal of the Hare Krishna successful St. John's, Poorun said the radical is presently portion of the Hindu temple, but are trying to make a abstracted entity for members of Hare Krishna.

And she is hoping they'll beryllium capable to big the festival again adjacent year.

"It depends connected the enactment that we get from the community, from the city, from the province," she said. "And the tendency of the Lord."

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