COLOURFUL CULTURAL CAPE

Some of the great traditions, such as the Indian and African traditions, have their roots in thousands of years of heritage and culture, that have been adapted and evolved to suit South Africa’s people, whilst others have been born from South Africa itself, like the ‘Cape Coloured’ traditions and culture. For decades, specific cultural events have been attended by a majority of the same people from their own culture and tradition because that is exactly how people were forced to live under the rule of the old apartheid government. This to some extent, although serving as a preservation of these traditions, also led to much confusion, and allowed little understanding of these traditions by people outside of their own groups, especially across the racial barriers.

Yatra, or as it is commonly known, the Festival of Chariots, by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) of South Africa. This is an annual event that happens worldwide in celebration of some of the deities of Indian culture and religion. As the tradition has it, it has always been a spiritual event that is part of a greater celebration of our eternal oneness with the Divine, and God’s eternal Love for all of mankind

In South Africa, the largest celebrations of the Festival of Chariots have conventionally been in areas of larger Indian demographics such as at the Golden Mile and Phoenix in Durban. However, in December 2007, things were much different as the Mother City of Cape Town gave birth to a spectacular Festival of Chariots in which multitudes of people from various cultures and races came together to celebrate a new experience of Indian culture.

Read more at SUTR VIP