Chariot Festival of India, Vancouver,
BC – August 15th,
2010
by Justin Tywford:
Vancouver’s scenic English
Bay was the stunning backdrop for the 37th Annual Chariot
Festival of India held on Sunday,
August 15th.
Perfect sunny weather, a
fabulous, colourful parade and the cheers and support of many
well-wishers joining in chanting and singing made for an energetic
and positive atmosphere.
A great time was had by everyone.
The parade started under the
Granville Street Bridge and proceeded along the waterfront Beach
Avenue to Stanley Park.
Thousands of participants and spectators lined the streets or
watched from the many apartment buildings lining the beautiful route.
They were treated to a spectacular parade that included many
diverse musical tastes such as a brass band and flamenco dancers and
musicians.
Two chariots,
including one with young performers,
sang kirtan, an Indian
devotional tradition of call and response music.
This chanting of the traditional Hare Krishna by the hundreds of gathered participants
echoed throughout the west end,
creating happiness and love to those who heard it.
Foot tapping,
dancing, singing and
large smiles were common among the spectators.
The highlight of the parade
was the Ratha Yatra cart.
The Ratha Yatra is an ancient festival
with origins in the city of Puri,
India on the Bay of Bengal.
It commemorates Lord Jagannath’s,
( Lord of the universe),
annual Kurukshetra to Vrndavan accompanied
by his brother and sister. This
is a very auspicious event and the only time that the general public
get to see the deities outside of the
temple.
In keeping with this tradition, the deities from the ISKCON temple in Burnaby make
the historic journey in
a special cart, pulled by the devotees and followers along English
Bay, which is remarkably
similar to the historic
journey in Puri – the cart in both places travels in stunning
scenery between the city and the ocean.
After the parade,
a festival was held on Stanley Park’s Second Beach offering a full
day of enticing entertainment on two stages – from singing,
dancing, kirtan to other
interesting talks and recitals.
Thousands of free vegetarian meals were given away,
and many activities and events were enjoyed by adults and
children alike.
Face painting and henna art were free and very popular and
vegetarian cooking demonstrations showed throughout the day. Vendor
stalls showcased beautiful Indian clothes,
jewelry and other wares and interactive hatha and bhakti yoga
classes were presented.
The festival was a great
success with visitors from all of Canada and the US.
As the sun set over the majestic English Bay, a final kirtan featuring an international cast of
performers closed the festival for 2010.
For the first time in
Vancouver, the Second Beach site held a kirtan concert (www.kirtanvancouver.com)
on the Saturday night before the festival.
This hugely popular and engaging event showcased both local
and international kirtan performers,
singing and chanting devotional music until after dark, with a positive Vancouver response, not unlike the joys of the Folk Festival.
The successful weekend’s
activities are a precursor to the exciting Janmastimi celebration of
the birth of Krishna that will be held on Wednesday, September 1st at the ISKCON temple on
Marine Drive in Burnaby (see vancouver.iskcon.ca for more details).
You can try these links for more festival
photos:
RathaYatra Slideshow
http://public.fotki.com/crashfx/events/chariot-festival-of/
http://interface-images.photoshelter.com/gallery/Faces-of-the-Festival-of-India/G0000Qu0IDY5E1.A/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSzKhL0fnqA
