I arrived in Helsinki/Finland on the 12th of August and was grateful for the cooler temperatures and yet sunny weather. It was my first visit to this Vaishnava community - the devotees had eagerly requested me to stay on after Janmastami to offer some seminars. Their temple is a great place - in a central location, with lots of lawns and gardens around - a former center for old people. Some of the lawns belong to the city council, but the devotees are allowed to use them.
For Janmastami they made a great arrangement with a small stage for cultural programs and several tents offering all kinds of activities such as swinging Gopal, a book tent, prasadam tent, kids tent, shop, etc. Inside in the small temple room devotees engaged in ongoing kirtan, and a circular path allowed people to take darshan of Their Lordships. Around 3500 to 4000 guests visited throughout the day of Janmastami - mainly Nepalis and Indians; also some Western people attended the festivities.
Everything was amazingly well organised by a 27-year old devotee from an Indian background. We were lucky with the weather - Janmastami was one of the last warmer days in this nordic area, with only very little light rain.
For Janmastami they made a great arrangement with a small stage for cultural programs and several tents offering all kinds of activities such as swinging Gopal, a book tent, prasadam tent, kids tent, shop, etc. Inside in the small temple room devotees engaged in ongoing kirtan, and a circular path allowed people to take darshan of Their Lordships. Around 3500 to 4000 guests visited throughout the day of Janmastami - mainly Nepalis and Indians; also some Western people attended the festivities.
Everything was amazingly well organised by a 27-year old devotee from an Indian background. We were lucky with the weather - Janmastami was one of the last warmer days in this nordic area, with only very little light rain.
RSS Feed
