The Festival of Chariots flourished in downtown El Paso
EL PASO, Texas - On Saturday, a traditional Krishna Consciousness celebration- the Festival of Chariots- took place right here in the Borderland. The festival saw visitors from all over the desert southwest, as well as local and regional monks celebrating their beliefs with others. The colorful event featured cultural music, yoga classes, singing, dancing, gift shops, free food, and traditional clothing.
Melissa Torres came from Tucson to participate, "we came out last year, and we had a lot of fun. We had a great time! Any opportunity to see Lord Jagannatha is very merciful, I'll take it in a heartbeat."
The main event, of course, is the decorative cart parade which the community pulls around. "We [the parade] normally go around the block that's the best thing- it's a very auspicious thing to do, so if you are able to partake and have the opportunity to pull the chariot it's a big blessing," said Torres.
Traci Presley, one of the organizers, shared this with ABC-7:
"Whether you're Catholic, Jewish- we believe in one god- Buddhist, Hinduism, Krishna Consciousness is what we are, we believe in one god so that's what the song, and the dance, and the food is all about, so we can share the one message of god," she said smiling, "we are looking to bring joy and happiness to the world," which is something we all could use a little more of.
