As the Easter holidays approach, and Durban gears up for an influx of visitors, religious groups will gather around the city to mark annual religious gatherings with festivities and prayer.
Among the annual attractions in Durban is the Ratha-Yatra, Festival of Chariots, and the Shri Mariammen prayer and 2025 Simha Travel Mount Edgecombe Easter Festival.
The four day Festival of Chariots will take place from Friday, April 18 until 21 at Durban's North Beach, on the lawns of the Bay of Plenty.
A traditional part of the festival is the chariot procession where three 15-metre high chariots, festooned with hundreds of flower garlands and colourful canopies towering across the 10 metre wide structure.
They will be manually drawn as thousands of chanting and dancing devotees, accompanied by traditional Indian musical instruments, tug along the ropes through the streets of Durban’s beachfront.
This year the processions will take place on Friday, at 11am from south beach (opposite Tropicana Hotel), and head in a northerly direction along the beachfront to the festival site.
A second shorter parade will take place on Monday, April 21, at 5pm leaving from the festival site.
Champakalata dasi, a spokesperson for the festival, said the festival grounds will be transformed into a tent city housing various activities.
Among the attractions will be body art with a spiritual dimension in the form of henna, mehendi and face painting of gopi dots, an aerial fireworks display on Saturday evening and a tent selling handcrafted deities, children’s books, fragrant incenses, elegant traditional garments including gopi outfits, saris, kurti tops, dhotis and kurtas.
There will also be a book tent.Visitors can also attend spiritual discussions where they will be able to pose questions to monks who will respond based on ancient Vedic wisdom or participate in mantra meditation on sacred beads whilst walking on 108 steps.
She said one of the new attractions this year is Krishna’s Kids Karnival."Children will enter into a spiritual wonderland at Krishna’s Kids Karnival, with opportunities to participate in spiritual arts and crafts, treasure hunts, junior masterchef competitions, foam pool pit, parachute rocket rides, a mini ratha yatra and clown shows," she said.
Bhakti Cloud, which is aimed at the youth, will have an open mic session daily at 4pm. This will offer a platform for young people who can rap, sing, dance, puppeteer, create poetry, act or tell a story in style.
Dasi said the deities that ride on the chariots will be worshipped in an elaborately decorated make-shift temple at the festival grounds where visitors can make offerings of fruits, flowers, lamps and incense, which will be available for all.
The festival, which is steeped in spiritual significance, aims to showcase the Krishna conscious philosophy and lifestyle.
"Through the performing arts, one will be entertained with song, dance and dramas dedicated to Lord Krishna and His activities," she said.
Among the local performers on the entertainment line-up include Umita Kalyan accompanied by the Drisha Music Academy, stand-up comedian Annalakshmi, Keeran Eshwarlall, Isaiselvamani V Karthiegasen and a host of other renowned musicians and dancers.
"Bhakti Marg Swami from Canada is coming to South Africa especially to direct the drama titled Vamana. It promises to be a spellbinding production that captivates yet stirs reflection on the themes of humility, devotion, and the cyclical nature of power.
"At least 10 international leaders from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) will be in attendance. These swamis and senior devotees are mendicants who travel globally spreading the teaching of Krishna consciousness through discourses and music in the form of devotional hymns (bhajans and kirtans). The chairperson of ISKCON’s governing body commission, His Grace Govardhan Dasa will also be present," said Dasi.
Apart from the free vegetarian meals, that averages about 30 000 plates per day that will be served daily, throughout the day, there will also be a range of vegetarian food items for sale.
The festival commences at 11am every day and ends at 9pm.
In Mount Edgecombe, the Shri Mariammen Temple on Siphosethu Road is looking to attract thousands of visitors and devotees from Thursday, April 17 to 21.
Seelan Achary, the chairperson of the Shri Mariammen Temple Society, said preparations for the event have been underway since January.
"Prayer coordinators, queue management, bhajan groups, security, and general staff are in place to welcome thousands of devotees to the annual pilgrimage to worship our supreme Mother Mariammen. This prayer is rich in history, culture, customs, traditions, and practices.
"The festival has an exciting new flavour to its entertainment programme. Four community radio stations will broadcast live each day, bringing in new energetic artists and offering a kaleidoscope of different genres of bands, singers, dancers, and comedians," said Achary.
He said a popular attraction is the Pic-A-Box competition, sponsored by various businesses.
The 25th edition of the Ammen Awards, which recognises individuals and groups doing volunteer work in various communities, will take place on Friday at the Mount Edgecombe Arts And Culture Centre.
A variety of stalls and car dealerships will be present during the festival.Included on the daily programme are bhajans performed by local artists.
Entertainers during the weekend include Tashmeer Chetty, Aunty Roshni, Divinity Sungeeth, Bolly Beats - Megan, Ayushen and Azaria, Paramathman Dance Theatre, Rohann Ramkissoon's Entertainment, Malaika Khan and Flash Entertainers.
