Special Visiting Guest
His Holiness Nava-Yogendra Swami

Snana Yatra 
(Bathing festival of Lord Jagannath)

Once a year Lord Jagannatha, along with His brother and sister comes off His altar to be bathed by all His loving devotees.

This is a very special pastime of the Lord. Each year, after the Lord is bathed, He catches a cold and in which He is removed from the Altar and put into intensive care where His pujari's take care of Him by giving Him medicine in the form or fresh juices.
This is a good chance to get a little extra mercy from Him by bringing Him this special medicine in the form of Juice.

After two weeks in intensive care the Lord then comes out of the temple to give audience (darshan) to everyone by going for a ride on His majestic chariot. This festival is known as Jagannatha Ratha-Yatra.

These two festivals, Jagannatha Snana-Yatra and Ratha-Yatra have been going on since time immemorial in Jagannatha Puri, the place where Lord Jagannatha originally appeared milleniums ago. These same pastimes of the Lord go on all over the world and this year will mark the 36th year they have been taking place in Vancouver.

Please come and join us for this wonderful snanayatra and Ratha-Yatra.

After this bathing pastime, Their Lordships "mysteriously" contract a cold and are quarantined and given intensive care by His pujaris for two weeks. When the two week period is completed and They are feeling well again They come out of Their temple to give darshan (audience) to everyone by riding on large Chariots pulled by Their devotees.

This is known as the  Rathayatra festival.