International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Sri Sri Radha Madhava Mandir
Festivals
Here's a brief content piece about ISKCON celebrating festivals: "ISKCON joyfully celebrates a variety of festivals throughout the year, each filled with vibrant traditions and heartfelt devotion. From the colorful festivities of Janmashtami to the joyous celebrations of Diwali, these events bring together devotees and communities, fostering a spirit of unity and devotion. Join us as we honor these special occasions prayers, cultural performances, and delicious prasadam, creating lasting memories with friends and family."
Balaram Purnima
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of the Godhead. He is the only source of all the incarnations. Balaram is better recognized as His 2nd body. These two are not different and both of them have the same identity. As far as the dissimilarity is concerned, they vary just in the colour. Balaram is considered as the first physical expansion of Lord Krishna. He is the most powerful source of the whole religious world and the real religious master.
Gaura Purnima
Gaura Purnima is the celebration of most auspicious and adorable advent of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – The Golden Avatara.It is one of the most important festival for Gaudiya Vaishnavas afterJanmashtami.
The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna ,with the serving mood of Srimati Radharani, appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to establish Sankirtana Movement – the yuga dharma for this age of Kali. He appeared on the full moon day in the month of Phalguna in the year 1486 AD at Sridham Mayapura as the son of Sri Jagannath Mishra and Srimati Sachidevi.
Govardhan Puja
The day after Diwali is called Annakuta, or Govardhana Puja. On this day the inhabitants of Vrindavan (Lord Krishna’s abode on Earth) used to hold a festival to honor King Indra, the demigod responsible for providing the rains essential for a successful harvest.
One day, however, sensing that Indra had become overly proud of his position as king of heaven, Lord Krishna convinced the residents of Vrindavan to modify their festival and celebrate Govardhana Hill instead, arguing that it was the fertile soils on the hill that provided the grass upon which the cows and bulls grazed; that the cows and bulls who provided milk and ploughed the lands should be worshiped. This turn of events naturally upset the mighty Indra, who retaliated with terrifying rains and thunderstorms.
Jhulan Yatra
One of the most popular events in the holy town of Vrindavan, India – where Lord Krishna appeared 5,000 years ago – is the celebration of Jhulan Yatra, the Radha-Krishna swing festival. In Vrindavan among the local villagers and inhabitants this festival lasts for 13 days.
In Sri Vrindavan for five days, in many of the 5000 temples there, the small Utsav-vighraha functional Deities (Vijay-utsav bera) are taken from the altar and placed on an elaborately decorated swing in the temple room. After receiving the traditional arati worship, the Deities are pushed on Their swing. Each person offers flower petals and personal prayers, and then pushes the swing several times as the other members chant Hare Krishna, Jaya Radhe Jaya Krishna jaya Vrindavan, or Jaya Radhe, Jaya Jaya Madhava dayite in kirtan. The atmosphere of this festival is especially sweet as everyone has the chance to intimately serve Radha and Krishna.
Kartik and Diwali
While Diwali appears in the calendar as a oneday festival, the Festival of Lamps is celebrated at Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir for one full month – the month of Kartika. This month is also called as Damodara month. Five thousand years ago, in the beautiful village of Gokula, on the day of Diwali, Mother Yashoda was churning butter for the beloved Krishna. Little Krishna, whose beautiful face resembles a fresh blue lotus bathed in full moon light, approached Mother Yashoda for her milk. Since he was hungry, Yashoda very lovingly embraced her darling son and started feeding him. After a short while, when Yashoda heard the sound of boiling milk overflowing in the kitchen, she ran to the kitchen putting Krishna aside.
Narasimha Caturdashi
While Diwali appears in the calendar as a oneday festival, the Festival of Lamps is celebrated at Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir for one full month – the month of Kartika. This month is also called as Damodara month. Five thousand years ago, in the beautiful village of Gokula, on the day of Diwali, Mother Yashoda was churning butter for the beloved Krishna. Little Krishna, whose beautiful face resembles a fresh blue lotus bathed in full moon light, approached Mother Yashoda for her milk. Since he was hungry, Yashoda very lovingly embraced her darling son and started feeding him. After a short while, when Yashoda heard the sound of boiling milk overflowing in the kitchen, she ran to the kitchen putting Krishna aside.
Nityananda Trayodashi
Lord Nityananda is the eternal associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rarely is the name Nimai (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) taken without that of Nitai (Lord Nityananda). Mahaprabhu cannot be approached or understood without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, who is the cardinal guru of all the universes and serves as an intermediary between Mahaprabhu and His devotees. He is the Lord’s active principle in both creation and lila. He is the second body of the Lord, manifesting as Balaram to Sri Krishna, Lakshman to Sri Ram and Nityananda Prabhu to Caitanya Mahaprabhu. All other forms and expansions of the Lord emanate from this second body.
Radhastami
Radhastami is the divine appearance day of Srimati Radharani, the eternal consort of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Radhastami is a very special day for all the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, as by obtaining the mercy of Srimati Radharani one can easily achieve Krishna-prema. Radha is Krishna’s dearest servant, and is His pleasure potency.
Srimati Radharani’s glorious birth occured on the eighth day of the bright moon in the month of Bhadra. Although generally not full on that day, the moon appeared full to celebrate Radharani’s appearance in this world. Among all of Krishna’s consorts in Sri Vrindavana, Srimati Radharani is the greatest. In fact, She is the queen of Vrndavana.
Sri Krishna Janmashtami
Janamashtami is a popular festival of India that is celebrated all across the country with much enthusiasm and fervour for celebrating the appearance of Lord Krishna in the month of August or September. The festival of Janamashtami in Delhi starts almost a week in advance. Processions on streets in the magnificence of the Lord Krishna can be seen on roads before the festival actually arrives. Our volunteers at Iskcon distribute copies of Bhagwad Gita to spread the teachings of Lord Krishna on the occasion of Janamashtami in Dwarka.
Sri Ram Navami
Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religion and the rise of irreligion the Lord appears millennium after millennium.
When the Lord comes to this world he doesn’t take birth like ordinary human beings but appears out of His own sweet will. Whenever there is a need for the protection of devotees the Lord appears. The Supreme Lord incarnates in many forms like Matsya the fish, Varaha the boar, Narsimha the half man half lion. All these forms of the Lord are very attractive to His devotees who take great pleasure in talking about his pastimes.
One such famous incarnation of The Supreme Lord is Lord Rama. The birth of Lord Rama is celebrated as Rama Navami. Lord Rama was born to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya in Ayodhya. He had three younger brothers Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna.
Vasant Panchami
Vasant Panchami, the Fifth day of the waxing moon in Magha maas, marks the beginning of spring in India, and the beginning of the festivities of Holi in Vraja. On this day the Lords in Sri Radha Madhava Mandir and many ISKCON temples including the temples in Vraja, are dressed and decorated in yellow garments, jewels and flowers. Following in the same mood of the festival, many of the devotees also dress in yellow garments. The Lords are offered various dishes with kesar and other yellow ingredients that make the foodstuffs also match the overall color code of the festival. From this day forth, the colorful festival of Holi, in which Brajendrananadan Krishna and the gopis headed by Shrimati Radhika engage in throwing flower petals, colored powders and colored water on each other in a transcendental love battle, is celebrated for 40 days in different parts of Vrindavan. The transcendental pastime of Vasant raas also took place on this auspicious night in Govardhan at Chandra sarovar, in which the moon stood still to take darshan of this divine dance for the duration of one night of Lord Brahma, which is equals to trillions of years on this earthly planet.
Saturday & Sunday Feast
Srila Prabhupada, founder acharya of the 'Hare Krishna Movement' started this noble cause. ...
He named this initiative as ‘Saturday-Sunday Love Feast’. That time, he used to invite the guests on his own. He used to cook and serve the pure vegetarian Indian food to all the guests. After this feast, he used to sing and give the classes on Bhagavad Gita.
From that time, this weekly festival is now celebrated in all the ISKCON temples.