Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Rteacher]

Hey, I posted this on the "current events" forum with a "multi-cultural" hook, and it was languishing without being viewed by many politicos. So, brain-dead vegetable that I am, I decided to re-post it on this forum that seems to eat up anything with "vegetarian" or "wedding" in the title. (Of course, "fire-sacrifice" hasn't been tried much, but I'd expect it to be a hot topic...



Dousing the fire with purified butter, a priest chanted in Sanskrit as the oils fueled the celestial flame.

The fluid motion of the priest's arms implored the lord to watch over this most popular ceremony of the Hare Krishna religion - a wedding.

Friends and family, as well as devoted Krishna lunch patrons and two religion classes, helped celebrate the wedding of Andy Hunter and Meryl Strauss on Friday on the Plaza of the Americas.

A special feast in the wedding party's honor, including fried vegetables, cheesecake and a variety of other dishes, attracted 634 people to the cultural event.

After being legally married, Hunter, 24, a Hare Krishna follower, and Strauss, 20, president of Bhakti Yoga Club and UF student, participated in the ancient ceremony for the annual festival put on by the Hare Krishnas.

The bride and groom were showered with flower petals as they ascended steps leading to a stage covered with hanging garlands and white cloth. They took a seat behind an arrangement of bricks surrounded with fruit and incense - where the fire would be lit - to begin the ceremony.

"This ancient ceremony being performed here is a sacred act that is available for human beings," said Rtadhvaja Swami, director of the Hare Krishna Student Center.

The ceremony, based on 5,000 years of tradition, began with welcoming the Lord into brass pots and lighting the fire, inviting the presence of God to witness the rest of the wedding and ensure a long married life for the couple.

Vedasara Das, director of the Krishna lunch program at Georgia Tech and the priest who performed the wedding, spent 20 years of his youth at a school in western India to learn the philosophy and procedure of ceremonies in the Hare Krishna tradition.

Throughout the wedding, he sprinkled grains, black and white sesame seeds, barley and purified butter onto the fire.

"They signify auspicious grains that are accepted by the gods," Vedasara said.

Savyasaci Das, director of UF's Krishna lunch program, said the university was very cooperative during the five weeks it took to get the fire and festival approved by officials.

"It's not a barbecue or a bonfire," Savyasaci said. "It's a ceremonial fire in a contained area."

Savyasaci said the ceremony typically lasts for three days in India, but for timing purposes, they shortened it to lunchtime so it would be open to the university.

Chris Kovachev, a junior English major who attends Krishna lunch five days a week, said Hunter and Strauss' wedding in the plaza was a fitting way to celebrate their marriage.

"They spend so much time at the university that it's only fitting that they crown their relationship here," he said.

The Bhakti Yoga Club and the families of the bride and groom funded the wedding.

"That's what student clubs are for - to provide venues for students to have different cultural and ethnic experiences," Swami said. "Most of these students have never seen an ancient ceremony like this."

Mirna Amaya, a senior pre-med student, said the wedding was beautiful.

"For those of us that don't know much about the religion, I think it was a very nice cultural experience," she said. www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=46825

[Rteacher]

I guess mainly for my own amusement - and for those rare souls actually interested , I'll post these photos taken off the Alachua (FL) Krishna temple web-cam this morning (November 2). It was a holiday, so there were more temple-goers than usual...




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[Rteacher]

(Hey, I don't mind that there are no other posters on this thread - the purity is being naturally preserved...) Anyway, today is the celebration of "Govardhana Puja" What?!



About Govardhan Puja In brief: The day after Deepawali is celebrated as Govadhan Puja when Mount Govardhan, near Mathura, is worshipped. Pious people keep awake the whole night and cook fifty-six (or 108) different types of food for the bhog (the offering of food) to Krishna. This ceremony is called ankut which means a mountain of food. Various types of food – cereals, pulses, fruit, vegetables, chutneys, pickles, and salads – are offered to the Deity and then distributed as prasada to devotees.




This festival is in commemoration of the lifting of Mount Govardhan by Krishna. According to a legend, before Krishna was born, Indra, the god of Rain, was the chief deity of Vraj. Then Krishna instigated the people to stop worshipping Indra. Indra wanted to show his power over Krishna and brought about a cloud-burst which flooded the countryside for many days. People were afraid that the downpor was a result of their neglect of Indra. But Krishna assured them that no harm would befall them. He lifted Mount Govardhan with his little finger and sheltered men and beasts from the rain. This gave him the epithet Govardhandhari. After this, Indra accepted the supremacy of Krishna. (Shakti M Gupta. 1991. Festivals, Fairs and Fasts of India

[Rteacher]

BTW, ... Krishna is the source of all beauty -