By Atma Tattva Das
On King’s Day 2025, Amsterdam’s canals, museums, and bustling vrijmarkt transformed into a vibrant sea of orange as 250 ISKCON devotees led an eight-hour Maha Harinam procession through the city. While nearly one million visitors flooded the streets for the national holiday, it was the impromptu kirtan, chanting, dancing, and prasadam distribution that truly captured hearts and reminded everyone of Kadamba Kanana Swami’s enduring vision to “do something” for spiritual outreach.
From Queen’s Day Stands to City-Wide Procession
In the 1980s, when the holiday was still Queen’s Day, ISKCON’s presence in Amsterdam took the form of stationary stalls on the free market. “We would secure a large spot with stands for saris, books, paraphernalia, prasadam, and a big bhajan podium,” recalled the yatra’s senior Vaishnavi and disciple of Tamal Krsna Das Goswami – Rati-Manjari Devi Dasi, who has served Srila Prabhupada’s mission in Amsterdam for over 40 years. Devotees drew curious crowds with swinging kirtans and personal guidance for newcomers, yet the format remained rooted in a single market square.
It was Kadamba Kanana Swami’s decision, in the late 1990s, to turn his Vyasa-puja celebrations in Radhadesh, Belgium, into a preaching journey – “Why not go to Amsterdam on King’s Day?” – that set the wheels in motion for what would become Maha Harinam. Uddhava Das, who became his disciple in 1999, remembered: “He didn’t want to be worshipped all day; he wanted to engage people in singing and dancing. King’s Day was the perfect opportunity.” From that first busload of devotees, the stationary stand evolved into today’s mobile kirtan party.
Steady Growth and Memorable Moments
What began with fifty chanters has swelled to 250 participants coming from across Europe. Every year, devotees don their orange hats and bits (an homage to the Dutch royal House of Orange) and follow a loosely defined route through Apollolaan, the Rijksmuseum courtyard, Vijzelgracht, Muntplein, and finally into Vondelpark. “We’ve seen steady growth,” Uddhava reflected. “Even after Maharaja’s passing, this year again drew about 250 devotees, proof that his spirit continues through the Harinam.”
Along the way, spontaneous public participation turns ordinary passersby into kirtan partners. Uddhava chuckled as he recalled, “A group of about thirty girls in orange ponchos once danced with us for twenty minutes straight, rolling their ponchos like pom-poms, it felt like Woodstock!” Yet the streets can also be unpredictable. At Leidseplein years ago, a drunk onlooker harassed the procession until a devotee called him to order to protect the ladies and clear the path, an anecdote that highlights both the challenges and the resolve underpinning the outreach.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/a-legacy-of-doing-something/
Comments