Hindu Chariot Festival - Ratha Yatra 2019

Hindus celebrate Ratha Yatra in June or July.   This is known as the Chariot Festival because they pull huge chariots of a Hindu god Jagannath and his two siblings (Balabhadra and Subhadra) through the streets to the temple.  Jagannath is one of the avatars of Vishnu and is known as the Lord of the Universe.  The wheels symbolise the cycle of birth, death and rebirth in Hindu beliefs.

In some Indian cities, such as Puri, over a million people will join the festival.   There are also big gathering in cities all over the world, including London.  We were inspired to create our own chariots and Hindu gods so we can have our own version of the festival here at Lowick.  This is all part of our work on Hinduism and how Hindus worship.

Scroll down to see the films of the morning, including ones of children creating their own dances.  Click to the 4th July news page to see the 'Bollywood trailer' of the festival.