Divali celebrated in Washington, D.C.

Every Town and Village

Washington, D.C., USA: Washington National Cathedral hosted, for the first time in its history, an event in celebration of Divali. Almost 200 guests filled the Cathedral’s Bethlehem Chapel for the evening celebration, which featured the offering of lamps, the reading of sacred prayers, and bhajanas

“We’re seeing, perhaps for the first time in such a profound way, a Hindu holiday being acknowledged in the nation’s shared sacred space,” said ISKCON spokesperson Venkata Bhatta Dasa. “It is an exciting chapter in the story of how the faith has finally come to be welcomed into America’s pluralistic mainstream. ISKCON continues to be an important part of that story, so it is fitting that ISKCON devotees should play such a pivotal role in this historic event.”

Damodara Celebrations in Chennai

Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Devotees conducted arati to Lord Damodara, inviting commuters straight from the streets to offer lamps to the Lord, in crowded areas like T. Nagar Bus Stand and Hanuman temple. The statue of Krishna attracted many people who were taking photographs by stopping their vehicles, causing traffic jams. All the events were accompanied by kirtanas and distribution of books and prasada.

Every Town and Village,Rath Yatra

Ratha-yatra celebrations

Ludhiana, Punjab: About five hundred thousand devotees from various parts of India and abroad participated.

New Delhi: Thousands attended the Ratha-yatra in Delhi.

Hare Krishnas at Inter-Cultural Dialogue

Phoenix, Arizona, USA: ISKCON was invited to attend the Fifth Annual Dialogue and Friendship Dinner. The discussion included topics such as sharing the message of love and peace with other faiths. The VIPs accepted Sri Krishna Janmastami 2008 Souvenir, which contained a proclamation from Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.

Harinama in Croatia

Every Town and Village,Rath Yatra

Karlovac, Croatia: For the fifth time, the Nitai Gauracandra Harinama Party conducted a 40-day tour along the Adriatic coast in Croatia, covering 57 cities performing 82 harinama processions. All together they traveled about 7000 kilometers and approximately 400,000 to 500,000 people heard the holy name. During the tour they distributed 365 books and music CDS.

Contributed by Dr. Prayag Narayan Misra, Kaplish, Sri Vallabha Dasa and Dasaratha-suta Dasa