The oldest street festival in the world is nearing five decades of its Los Angeles spinoff, acting as a true celebration of life, spirituality and Indian culture.
At 10 a.m. on Sunday, the 48th annual Los Angeles Festival of the Chariots begins at the corner of Pico and Main Street in Santa Monica, a two-hour affair that will transform into a daylong festival at Venice Beach’s Windward Plaza. The event, also known as Ratha Yatra, features 35-foot high chariots elegantly decorated with symbolism of deities like Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra.
Over a million attendees travel to the Indian coastal town of Jagannatha Puri for the event each year, where spectacular chariots created out of wood are pulled via ropes by parade participants. Festival Communications Director Karuna Gunn stated that while figures of God are on the chariot, the event is not "idol worship," rather a more celebratory occasion.
"It’s the idea that God is going out among the people, he leaves the temple where he is worshiped in seclusion by the Brahmin priest, he leaves and comes out to greet the people. So all the people come to meet him, that’s why a million people show up," Gunn said.
The Los Angeles affair began in 1976, part of a global movement spurred by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Originally following the tradition of using wood to construct the chariots, organizers eventually figured out how to make them out of aluminum in a way that they "collapse upon themselves." Folded down and put onto trucks, the three chariots are rolled out prior to the parade, erected and decorated for the morning’s festivities.
"[When] they’re set up … big ropes are attached to them, huge ropes that are eight inches in diameter," Gunn said. "The crowd literally pulls these chariots by hand with no motor from the Santa Monica Civic [Center] to the Venice Pavilion area, which is about two and a half miles … there’s nothing else [like] the crowd participation."
Gunn added that it takes about 40 people to carry the massive constructions, 20 on each of the two ropes. Along with the chariots, the parade route featured Kirtan call-and-response music, chants to express devotion to spiritual ideals. Narrating the activity will be Raghunath Cappo and Kaustubha Das from the popular "Wisdom of the Sages" yoga podcast.
Once the procession ends in Venice, the party continues throughout Sunday, featuring a performance from Viji Prakash and the Shakti dance troupe, free feast offerings, children’s activities and a marketplace with arts, crafts and literature. Showcasing the entire breadth of the Indian experience is "attractive," Gunn said, due to giving people "a complete understanding of the spiritual culture."
"America is so young, relatively speaking compared to this culture," Gunn said. "So our religious culture here in America is rich, but it doesn’t have that same kind of nuance that you can experience through this. It’s a different, very deep and mystical [experience] and it’s all about celebrating the love of God, love of life and love of gods. There’s a lot here that can be gained from having a good deep look."
For more information on Sunday’s festival, visit larathayatra.com
thomas@smdp.com