Ratha Yatra Ireland

Ratha Yatra in Dublin and Belfast brings devotional Indian culture to Ireland with a Krishna Conscious parade festival, singing, dancing, and vegetarian feast. Ratha Yatra is the popular international annual parade festival of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It features a wooden chariot pulled by hand accompanied by singing, dancing, drums, cymbals and culminates in an afternoon of music, drama and dance exhibits. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his first American disciples first introduced Ratha Yatra to the West in 1967 in San Francisco. The festival is coordinated in association with, and with the support of ISKCON Ireland, the Irish Indian community, the Indian embassy and other voluntary supporters. In many ways the Ratha Yatra could be considered an Eastern Saint Patrick’s Day. One of the reasons it has been embraced by the Councils of many major international cities is due to its multi-cultural effort of bringing people of all beliefs and cultures together. The core principles behind the event are that whatever our beliefs, religions or background we should be able to join together in a spirit of celebration. With this ethos and spirit of community, our guest-list for the day will include a representative from the Indian Embassy, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, representatives from the Equality Authority of Ireland and guests from the Garda Racial and Intercultural office as well as many respected priests and monks from around the world. The festival tours the major cities of the world, and the sangha of joyful devotees who surround Lord Jagannath's celebration is always thrilled to return to the multicultural cities of Dublin and Belfast.