The word is Yiddish but it seems to apply well to this assortment of sort-of religious knickknacks for sale at the Krishna chariot parade. The feeling is quite similar to what I remember from my Catholic upbringing and still see throughout Europe and the Americas. People need just the right souvenir.
Blowing a conch shell as if on a trumpet has a long history in Hindu and Buddhist tradition. According to the font of all knowledge, Wikipedia, it is known as a shankha in Hinduism and is associated with the preserver god Vishnu. The symbolism goes deeper than that if you care to look it up.
Another priest, I assume, at the Hare Krishna chariot parade. The posture and gesture make me think of Caesar addressing the Senate but the meaning here is not the same. The clothing is so joyously different from the monochrome Sisters of Mercy and Jesuits I was subjected to when I was young. Catholic iconography has color but it is muted compared to this rolling party.
I need to edit some pix of the chariot as a whole.
So here's what was going on in Monday's post. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, popularly known as the Hare Krishnas, have an annual devotional parade alongside a lake in a suburban park. There is a big turnout from the South Asian community. A large, wildly colorful shrine on wheels, referred to as a chariot, is pulled along the path, accompanied by singing, chanting and dancing. Might be wrong, but I think this man was a priest of the sect, full of equanimity on a blazing, cloudless day.
Preparing the chariot for the main event. It looks like he was upset with me but I don't think that's so. The public was invited and there were a number of photographers, a few much more assertive than me.
