Ratha Yatra festival celebrated for the first time in Fredericton

Hindu devotees from across the Maritimes gathered in Fredericton for a festival celebrated for the first time in the city.

Ratha Yatra, or Chariot Festival in English, was held Saturday at the Maritime Geeta Bhawan temple. 

The festival consists of devotees gathering to decorate the small chariot that will carry the Hindu deities of Lord Jagannath, his sister, Subhadra, and brother, Balabhadra.

At noon, devotees pulled the ropes attached to the chariot, and slowly brought the deities back to the temple where the remaining activities, like communal eating and dancing, took place. 

Kanwal Chadha, one of the organizers of this year's festival and the president of the local chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, describes the festival as a time where the deities come out to bless every living being.

"We bring the deities to the temple and we have singing and dancing and all the festival and we also have too much food that will be served today," Chadha said with a laugh.

Chadha said that the temple was hoping to put on the festival for some time, but that the pandemic derailed those plans. However, after the province went into its green recovery phase, the temple and society decided to proceed.

"I've been in Canada for seven years and I've seen this festival with a great crowd and great fun in Montreal and Toronto, and that we are doing it in Fredericton, we are really super excited for that," said Chadha.

Chanchal Varma, a temple trustee, said there was a lot of work and preparation needed to bring the festival to life. A turnout of at least 300 people was expected.

"It's really exciting for us because for the first time we are celebrating and the Maritime Bhawan temple has been here more than 21 years and we never did that."