2018 Ratha Yatra
Mon, Jan 15
|Waikīkī
Join us during the 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade in Waikiki, Honolulu, HI as we celebrate Hawaii's Ratha Yatra, or Chariot Festival!
Time & Location
Jan 15, 2018, 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Waikīkī, Waikīkī, HI 96815, USA
Guests
About the event
The parade begins at Magic Island with the formation of organizations at 7:30 a.m., then moves out 9:00 a.m., traveling on Kalakaua Avenue through Waikiki to Kapiolani Park. It is culminated with a unity rally celebration, which includes food, community booths, and camaraderie. ISKCON Hawaii will meet for prasadam (breakfast) at 7:30 AM
Ratha Yatra literally means Chariot Festival. Ratha Yatra originated over 2,000 years ago in the ancient city of Jagannatha Puri India in the state of Orrisa. The festival celebrates Lord Krishna’s return to Vrindavan in response to the longings of his most intimate devotees. Sri Krishna, his brother Balaram and sister Subhadra are brought from Their temple and placed upon three large, gorgeous chariots which are pulled by devotees, accompanied by melodious chanting of the Lords Holy Names. Millions of people from around the world descend upon of Jagannath Puri every year to celebrate this colorful and ecstatic festival.
Ratha Yatra was first performed outside of India on July 9, 1967 in San Francisco under the supervision of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acarya of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. Today the Festival of Chariots is held in more than one hundred locations around the world.