A vibrant Hindu festival featuring a traditional wooden chariot procession, live Kirtan and Bhajan music, dancing, and a free vegetarian Prasadam feast.
The Rathayatra Festival comes to Southampton Common on Saturday 18 July, starting at 13:00. It's the International Society for Krishna Consciousness' biggest street festival, and it centres on the Rath Yatra chariot procession, which runs from 13:00 to 15:30. The main feature is a traditional wooden chariot, decorated with flowers, that everyone is invited to help pull along the Common.
There's more to it than just the procession, though. Throughout the day, there's live Kirtan and Bhajan music, with singing, chanting, and dancing to rhythmical drums and cymbals. From 15:30 to 16:30, they distribute Prasadam—sanctified, pure vegetarian food offered to the Lord—which is shared with everyone there.
For a bit of context, the Rathayatra, or 'Festival of the Chariot', is an ancient Hindu festival that started in Jagannatha Puri, India, and goes back over 2,000 years. It celebrates Lord Jagannath and is one of the most colourful heritage celebrations of the summer. It was brought to the West in 1967 in San Francisco by ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his first American disciples, and it's since become the organisation's largest street festival.
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It all takes place at Southampton Common, The Avenue, Southampton SO15 7NN. Entry is free, and the day runs from 13:00, with the chariot procession from 13:00 to 15:30 and the vegetarian Prasadam from 15:30 to 16:30.
