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Monday, March 1, 2010

Ratha Yatra

Join Us for the Fifth Annual Rathayatra in St. Augustine
BY: NARTAKA GOPALA DEVI DASI





Feb 24, ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, USA (SUN) — Saturday, March 20, 2010, beginning at 11:00 a.m. in the Main Plaza—St. George Street and Cathedral.


500 years ago, the mainland of North America was first sighted by the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon. He named it "La Florida," Land of Flowers. Soon after, the historic city of St. Augustine was founded. At the same time, Lord Caitanya was in another part of the world inaugurating the Sankirtan Movement. Lord Caitanya predicted that the chanting of the Holy Names of Lord Krishna would spread to "every town and village," and now we are seeing that prediction come true! St. Augustine hosts more than 5 million tourists each year, and now these tourists will be blessed by Lord Caitanya's prediction as they witness the Fifth Annual Festival of the Chariots and Rathayatra in that historic city.


The procession route is about a mile long and can be easily walked by all age groups. It begins at the main Plaza (St. George Street and Cathedral) and will travel down Cordova, Orange, Castillo, St. Francis, Cordova, back to King St. and end at the Plaza. The parade will move in a leisurely fashion, stopping here and there along the route, giving way to song and dance. Following the procession, there will be family-friendly activities at the compound, lots of entertainment: Indian dance, music, singing, arts, and books. But the big draw is a delicious vegetarian feast, free to all.







Eight Ratha Yatras are held yearly in the state of Florida: Miami, Jacksonville Beach, Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa, Gainesville, Daytona Beach, and St. Augustine. This St. Augustine festival is sponsored by ISKCON of Alachua, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, whose Founder/Acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wanted these festivals everywhere.


All devotees are invited to come, and a bus will be arranged for transportation. We are seeking sponsors for flowers, prasadam, and devotee transportation. For more info contact: Bhadra das at (352) 316-4560 or bhadradas@gmail.com or Dharmaraja das at (352) 538-0292. If anyone wants to perform on the stage, contact Gaura Shakti das at 352-213-5550.

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