Seven devotee children celebrated a special day of their own in Germany with twenty of their school friends and their friends’ family members on a Sunday in May at Goloka-dhama, in Abentheuer. The event was organized so that the devotee children could have a Vedic version of their Catholic friends’ First Communion ceremony.

Naryani Dasi, a year ago, felt that her two children were missing something when the other school children had their First Communion. Catholic children got nicely dressed up for an event in church, and they were at the center of that special day. She asked herself and others, Why don’t our kids have such a nice day?

Her friend Analaksita Dasi, a teacher by profession, agreed to help Narayani organize the children and the event. Starting last October, the two mothers held home meetings once a week, and this continued for six months. They taught seven devotee children songs and scriptural verses. They showed them how to paint OM, the sacred combination of Sanskrit letters. The children learned to do puju, a worship ceremony, and one day offered puja to Srila Prabhupada in the Krishna temple. For Christmas, the children baked cookies.

Narayani’s daughter, Vraja-lila, is ten; her son, Ramai, is eight. Their father, Vrajendra Kumara Prabhu, has a prasadam business, and he catered the event. The other five children were Elias (Analaksita’s son), Mandali (the daughter of Adi Sesa and Murali), and three girls named Hannah, Laura, and Maxime.

To the Vedic version of First Communion, held at the Krishna temple, Narayani and Vrajendra Kumara and Analaksita invited two teachers and the seven children’s friends and families. Sixty guests took part.

Adi Sesa Prabhu spoke to the assembled people about the meaning and basis of the ceremony. The seven children received flower garlands, and a temple priest conducted a fire sacrifice before the Deities. The seven children offered grains and bananas into the fire. They recited a Sanskrit verse and gave the German translation, and they chanted Hare Krishna and sang the Nrsimha prayers.

Vrajendra Kumara said, “Some of our kids’ friends felt so attracted to the fire sacrifice and chanting that they asked their parents if such a ceremony could also be held for them.”