琉璃神社's City Park was a party on June 21 for Ratha Yatra, the Hindu festival of chariots.
The second annual festival began with a procession through downtown at 10 a.m. celebrating Lord Jagannath, a form of Krishna.
"The parade's meaning is to bring blessings to all," said Ashok Tyagi with the 琉璃神社 Hindu Cultural Society. The procession is led by people pulling the cart of Lord Jagannath to bring blessing and liberation to the Hindu people.
"In today's society, people are not happy. We're going mad after material enjoyment," said Jaya Govinda with the Hare Krishna Movement. "Unfortunately, because we're not actually the material body, we're the spirit soul, and it doesn't matter how much materialism we can get... the point is to satisfy the spirit, the soul. When the soul is satisfied then automatically we aren't so mad after materialism."
After the parade, people gathered in the park for food, entertainment, fellowship, and a kids' zone.
A light rain fell on the festival. An attendee explained to Black Press the rain was a good sign and was considered a blessing.
Festivities were on until 4 p.m.
