A two-year wait has ended, and the Festival of Chariots is back on September 10.
Enjoy the burst of colours, song and dance down the streets of Lenasia ending at Iskcon Lenasia temple for a feast and festival as you pull the chariot and grab mercy.
The event starts at 11:00 at the Luxmi Narayan temple on Kingfisher Street and ends at Rose Park.
This is a free entry event, inviting one and all to experience this surreal and enthralling festival.
The Festival of Chariots is an international festival which has taken place throughout all corners of the globe, in over 100 countries. The festival (or Ratha Yatra) is a ‘celebration of love which envelops the community’, marked by a conflation of colour, credence in chorus, energised dance and infusion of multicultural splendour.
The original festival has been held in Jagannatha Puri, India, which still remains one of the world’s largest annual Mardi Gras festivals. The festival has been in existence since 1150AD.
The first festival outside India was in San Francisco in 1967 with the 56th anniversary of the festival in 2022. The London Ratha Yatra first took place in 1969.
The 2022 Ratha Yatra Festival in Lenasia will be the 23rd festival since its inception with the theme “Heritage of Love”.
South Africa has also been a part of this incredible phenomenon. Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria and Soweto have been hosts to this unifying, dynamic festival.
This festival has often been described as a revolutionary Mardi Gras hosted in all the major cities of the world.
One can expect to experience amazing varieties of entertainment, including musicals and theatrical productions performed by foreign and local performers, the legendary festival of chariot procession, incredible soulful song, dazzling dance performances, and tantalising cuisine to delight the tastes of all – be it the spice of the East, the variety of the west, health focus of the vegetarian, or milky desire of icy delights.
Children will be enchanted by the kid’s corner, as the adults enjoy the theatrical musical performances on showcase. Local and international artists are billed to be performing.
For more information contact Nash on 083 564 4546 or visit their Facebook page, festivalofchariotslenasia.
For donations, ISKCON Lenasia banking details: FNB Iskcon with account number 62868791081, branch code 250655.
Kindly email nashj108@gmail.com for receipting/invoicing on any donations/ sponsorships.
