First experience of Hare Krishna Ceremony and Lecture

The devotees entered and lay flat on the ground, kiss it, and mumble then rise and face front. The front, my dear, let me tell you is a raised platform behind a proscenium arch compete with curtain. On the platform is an assortment of glittering, shiny, flowery oriental decorations under two identical canopies with pillars. On these platforms firstly there were two identical Indian looking dolls and on the other one a large white doll, a small white doll and a large black doll with eyes like saucers. All of the dolls were dressed in ornate clothing and jewelry. These are the idol's minor gods.



The twins represent Krishna as he appeared 5000 years ago (Krishna is god) and the other dolls are Krishna in other forms. There is a saried alter boy of sorts who stands behind the proscenium arch and performs and performs a number of ceremonial acts while the rest of the congregation chants to symbols and an oblong drum which someone is beating.



There are no chairs in the room and the men stand in the front with the women, and us at the back. The devotees shift their weight from one side to to the other. The alter boy waves incense, plays the symbols and waves around a long tuft of hair on the end of a stick. He also presents gifts of incense to the idols. Then he lights a little candlestick holder with about 5 flames, he takes this to one of the male congregation who takes it from the alter boy. Then this devotee takes the fire around to the other males who either warm their hands over it and run their hands over their bald heads, or they simply hold their heads over the flames. Then the fire is handed to one of the women to do to the female congregation.



Then they do a communal type thing with an egg cup of water which is sprinkled over every one's heads, a bit like the Catholic baptism. After a greweling half hour they all drop to the floor and start mumbling then they resume the chanting and finally the ceremony was over.



My ears were ringing from the constant clatter of tiny, tiny symbols. then we all took a mat and sat for the reading and lecture. My legs were very grateful.



Someone placed a book in the lap of the wax man, and too my surprise placed glasses on the dummy's nose . A guru sat in a large chair on the north side and with a book on a stand in front of him and a microphone.



Several people disappeared into a side room to do very good simultaneous translation into English, Yugoslavian and Spanish. We inserted earpieces into a hole in the wall to listen to the lecture in English.



A woman brought twigs on an tray and began stripping them of the leaves and stringing the leaves together to make necklaces for the idols ceremony the next day.