St. Augustine Festival of Chariots April 9.
11th Annual Festival of the Chariots
and Ratha Yatra Parade
Saint Augustine, FL Saturday, April 9, 2016
MEDIA RELEASE
Contacts: Bhadra das at 352 316-4560 or Bhadradas@gmail.com,
WHAT: An Indian multi-cultural parade and festival will be celebrated with entertainment for the whole family. There will be live music, theatre, classical dance, books, and lots of free delicious vegetarian food. The Ratha Yatra Parade is the oldest known parade in the world.
WHEN: Saturday, April 9, 2016. Mayor Nancy Shaver inaugurates the procession at 10:15 AM. The Parade begins at 10:30 AM. at the Plaza and returns there by noon. At 1 PM there will be an hour long procession down St. George Street without the Chariot. Then at 2 PM cultural program begins. The free food will be served out all day from 11 AM onwards. The festival continues until 3 PM
WHERE: The Plaza de la Constitucion at St. George Street and Cathedral Place.
WHO: All are welcome. Free admission. Wholesome fun for the entire family.
SPECIAL: VERY VISUAL event with colorful traditional costumes and flower decorations. Photography is permitted.
If you’ve ever dreamt of visiting colorful, exotic India, we have a treat for you. Get a taste of India without leaving Florida.. Saturday, April 9, 2016. The 11thAnnual Festival of the Chariots & Ratha Yatra Parade, an Indian multi-cultural extravaganza, will take place at the main plaza in St. Augustine from 10:30 AM to 3 PM. This year St. Augustine Mayor, Nancy Shaver, will inaugurate the procession at 10:15 AM
There will be lots of family-friendly activities and entertainment: live music, a play, classical Indian dance, books. But the big draw is the delicious vegetarian food. There will be a sumptuous feast served free of charge to all, starting at 11 AM.
The procession route is about 2 miles long and can be easily walked by all age groups. It begins at 10:30 AM at the Plaza and returns to the same location. The parade will move in a leisurely fashion, stopping here and there along the route, giving way to song and dance. The procession’s unique feature is a huge chariot with a blue, red and yellow canopy decorated with swans, lotus flowers, flags, Hanuman and a brass chakra on top. This chariot has two very thick ropes attached to it that are over one hundred feet long. These ropes are pulled by the parade-goers, propelling the chariot along the parade route. Riding on the Chariot are the beautiful Deities of Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra, decorated with stunning silk outfits & real flowers. It’s a vision from another world. Accompanying the procession is lively Indian music and dancing, backed by double-headed mrdanga drums & karatala hand cymbals. It’s an ecstatic, exciting event.
The festival is sponsored by ISKCON Alachua, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness whose Founder/Acharya, His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, came to America from India 50 years ago and introduced the timeless tradition of the Festival of the Chariot (called Ratha Yatra in India). Since the 60’s this festival has been held yearly in over 50 major cities in the United States, Canada, and all over the world. Eight Ratha Yatras are held yearly in the state of Florida: Clearwater, Jacksonville Beach, Tallahassee, UCF Orlando, Tampa, UF Gainesville, Daytona Beach & St. Augustine.
All are warmly invited to attend this joyous, colorful festival, free of charge. Take advantage of a rare chance to experience the vibrancy of India, right here in Florida. Questions? Call: Bhadra das at 352 316-4560 or Bhadradas@gmail.com.
Please check out our website and our facebook page:
http://festivalofchariots.org
http://facebook.com/rathayatras
Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=20283
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