EUROPE
June 25, 2002 VNN7402
Jagannath Festival Celebrated In Trafalgar Square
FROM THE HINDU
LONDON, ENGLAND, Jun 25 (VNN) — London, June 24. (UNI): Trafalgar Square came alive with sounds of Asian fusion music as over 20,000 people gathered there to offer prayers to Lord Jagannath and celebrate the 33-year-old 'Carnival of Chariots.'
While episodes were enacted from the "Krishna Raslila" under the Nelson's column yesterday, the famous song "My Sweet Lord" by Beatles George Harrison, a devotee of Lord Krishna, was sung in his dedication.
Like every year, a procession, carrying the idol of Lord Jaggannath on a 60-foot colourful chariot, accompanied by singers and dancers, began from the Marble Arch and went through Hyde Park, Haymarket and on to the Trafalgar Square.
In his message, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "I strongly believe that having a diversity of background and experiences is one of Britain's great strengths" and added that "events like the Carnival of Chariots help us to celebrate and enjoy this diversity".
The carnival was sponsored by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and free food was distributed by the Hinduja Foundation to about 30,000 people as part of the event.
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