A few weeks ago, our friend Harry invited J and I to go to Soul Feast, a Sunday night event at the Bhakti Lounge. They do yoga, then chanting meditation, then have a big meal. Harry has been going every week for a while, as he plays his violin with the musicians during the chanting meditation. They also have a lunch restaurant in the centre city where he's taken J for lunch, and J said that the food, which is all vegan, was delicious! I'll go anywhere for good food, and the singing sounded interesting, so off we went. (We didn't go for the yoga part, just to be clear).
The Bhakti Lounge is a Hindu establishment, and the chant that is repeated over and over is about Krishina and Rama, two very important deities. At first, the chanting was like in this picture - everyone sitting on cushions and singing a slow, melodic chant. One of the musicians would sing the chant through, and then we'd sing it back, and it was very soothing. Then there was a bit of a break for a speaker, then we did it again, and this time everyone stood up, and the chant started out slow, but got faster and faster, and eventually many people were swaying, clapping, dancing, and even jumping around to the music. I was delighted by the joy and positivity pouring out of everyone, and the music was very beautiful and energizing.
After the chanting, Harry, J, and I had dinner together.
All the food was organic and vegan, and it was delicious. I particularly liked the soup, which was smooth and very nutty, and the tea, which was both fruity and spiced. I had several cups!
A few weeks later, Harry told me that the Soul Feast was going to be extra special that week, because it was the Festival of Sweets. He said that people were going to work all week to make a hill of sweets, because the festival originated on a sacred hill in India.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was truly impressed at what I found. It's hard to tell in the picture, but this is one huge hill of sweets! We did the chanting and dancing around it, ending up in quite a swirling, twirling dance all around it, before we settled down to eating.
The base is green grated coconut, and on top is every kind of sweet! Cookies, sweet rice, shortbread, fudge, lassi, nut clusters, marzipan, cake, pastries, sweet muffins, caramel bars, and I don't even know what else!
A friend of Harry's explained that the blue cookies are the face of Krishina.
I was particularly impressed by the large roses, which were made out of pastry and apple slices.
It was really lovely to experience this celebration with lots of nice people, and to share in Harry's enjoyment of this community that he's found. Also, I can't complain about the quantity of sweets I got to eat!
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