Bring the First Ratha Yatra Festival to Halifax
Donation protected
ISKCON Halifax is partnering with IFCNS to organize the first Ratha Yatra Festival (Festival of the Chariots), followed by a Cultural Exhibition, for the spiritual healing of Halifax — and we need your help!
Halifax is an increasingly vibrant and multicultural city, and ISKCON Halifax wants to contribute to that cultural diversity in a GRAND way this summer, July 30th, at Garrison Grounds. The Ratha Yatra Festival is an annual event in larger cities, such as Toronto and Montreal, where thousands of people come out to celebrate and experience the ancient festival originating in India.
What is the Ratha Yatra Festival?
Also known as the Festival of the Chariots, the Ratha Yatra Festival originated in the ancient city of Puri, India. During the festival, three mammoth rathas (chariots), upon which the deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra are seated, are pulled by rope on a jubilant procession called a yatra, attracting over a million people annually for the past few thousand years. The parade itself symbolizes the pulling of the Lord into our hearts, and it is done with great devotion to the accompaniment of chanting and dancing, called kirtan.
Who is ISKCON Halifax?
An emerging cultural community and faith-based group with roots in ancient India. We are the local HRM branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (popularly known as the Hare Krishna Movement). As a CRA-registered charity and non-profit organization (832429815 RR 0001), we are part of a worldwide confederation of 400+ communities belonging to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava lineage, a monotheistic tradition within Hindu culture.
How do we want to celebrate the Ratha Yatra Festival in Halifax?
The main components of the festival will consist of:
- A colorful procession with a giant chariot and deity of Jagannatha on a major road in the heart of the city
- A festival site in a central area of the city where the parade will conclude and further festivities will begin
- Entertainment, cultural performances, devotional chants and dancing, extravagant worship of the deity of Lord Jagannatha
- Boutiques, spiritual literature about yoga and meditation, henna and face-painting, activities for children
- Free and liberal distribution of sacred vegetarian food offered to the deity
- The opportunity to participate in a rich cultural tradition, and much, much more!
How can you help?
There are considerable expenses involved in organizing this festival and making it a success, and many volunteer service opportunities. If you contribute according to your means, you will be directly involved in this historic, first-time event, and certainly Lord Jagannatha will bless you and your family. Please donate generously.
An overview of the various expenditures is as follows:
- The creation and shipping of a 3-foot deity of Lord Jagannatha from India
- Acquiring a 30-foot chariot from Montreal
- Renting a commercial kitchen and purchasing food to prepare meals for several thousand people
- Fees for permits, police escorts, etc.
- Decorations for the chariot and festival grounds
- Ordering boutique items and books
- Printing banners, posters, pamphlets, displays, etc.
- Rentals such as transportation vehicles, bouncy castles, etc.
- Advertising/promotion
- Miscellaneous supplies and tools
Any additional funds leftover after the Ratha Yatra Festival will go into future ISKCON Halifax events and projects, such as Janmastami Festival, Radhastami Festival, and our weekly Sunday Feast programs from 3-5:30pm at 59 McQuade Lake Crescent, Chain Lake.
We sincerely appreciate any contribution to this event.
Your servants,
Angiras Pandya
Angiras Pandya
Mangalananda dasa
Savyasacin dasa
Savyasacin dasa
Organizer
ISKCON Halifax
Organizer
Halifax, NS
