4000+ devotees gathered in Radhadesh, Belgium.

From Vrindavan to Vancouver, Belgium to Bangkok, New York to New Delhi, hundreds of thousands of Krishna devotees are beginning to gather at ISKCON temples and centers worldwide to celebrate Sri Krishna Janmashtami. ISKCON devotees first celebrated the festival with Srila Prabhupada at the New York storefront in 1966.

Janmashtami commemorates the earthly appearance of Lord Sri Krishna over 5,000 years ago, described in India’s sacred writings as God Himself. During this auspicious time, Krishna’s devotees immerse themselves in various spiritual practices, including chanting His sacred names, singing devotional songs, reading about His divine pastimes, preparing offerings of food for His delight, worshipping His deity form, and fasting until midnight when a sumptuous feast is enjoyed.

On September 6th, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed thousands gathered at ISKCON’s New Delhi temple, noting, “ISKCON attracts large gatherings of people to its temples within India and globally on Krishna Janmashtami. Devotees unite by transcending social divides to celebrate the festival and recall the pearls of wisdom enshrined in Srimad Bhagavadgita, which imparts valuable lessons on how to serve the world and the people,” he continued, “For the last several decades, the organisation has done commendable work in taking the divine message of Bhagwan Shri Krishna and in spreading Indian culture. The celebrations in hundreds of ISKCON temples are infused with a spirit of community service.” 

In Radhadesh, Belgium, one of these temples welcomed more than 4,000 visitors to its September 7th Janmashtami celebrations, believed to be the largest such gathering in continental Europe. At Bhaktivedanta Manor in London, as many as 50,000 are expected to visit the community from September 7-9th. As the world turns, more and more communities will join in celebrating this most auspicious of days.