My boyfriend and I were driving , and along the road we see colorful tents not yet set up. We saw a sign that said, "Festival of Chariots." He looked over and said, "Oh, that's the Hare Krishna festival. They had one when I lived in D.C." I looked over with a smile, and subliminally he got my message...I had already decided that we would be going. For those of you who don't know, Hare Krishna of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a small religion (some say cult) that is an offshoot of Hinduism that was formed in the 1960's. It's often associated with people with shaved heads and saffron robes.
 |
| White is a funeral color in India, but also practical to stave off the heat. |
We went yesterday with my mother, and it was a pleasant surprise. I wanted to go mainly for the delicious vegetarian food, but also for the cultural value. We were surprised to have only received one pamphlet about Krishna and "the Reservoir of Pleasure." To which I remarked, "Reservoir of pleasure my ass! They're celibate and vegetarian." Well, I got half right. They are vegetarian, but they are not required to be celibate. Although, any sexual activity must be for purposes of procreation only. Anyway, returning to the festival, there wasn't as much music or dancing as I thought, and it ended up being somewhat low-key. It was enjoyable nevertheless. I got to go through and read their information on reincarnation and other beliefs, and I delightfully flocked over to the vegetarian propaganda tent where I pointed at information to my mom and boyfriend, grumbling, "This is very true," because it was the one aspect of the culture/lifestyle for which I felt included.
The excitement came to a boil when we made our way over to the strip of food trucks and caterer's tents. We went over to the
Bollywood Zing truck for Samosa Chaat and Chaat Papdi, and we stopped off at the
Bubble Tea Truck for iced kiwi basil seed teas. The drinks were splendid on such a hot day and a nice compliment to the Indian street food.
 |
| Samosa Chaat and Chaat Papdi |
 |
| Kiwi Basil Seed Tea |
As the day started to wind down, so did we. We decided to leave, but not before I took a picture with a girl dressed as Krishna. I hope to go again next year.
 |
| Krishna |
Hare hare, hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, hare hare.
ReplyDeleteOne of my roommates is a yogi. Of course he's more a devotee of Ganesha than Krishna.
That's really interesting about your roommate!
Delete